'He is back' - major injury boost for Brighton star ahead of Wolves after 11-game absence

Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi issued a rare piece of encouraging injury news ahead of tonight’s Premier League fixture against Wolves at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls have struggled with injuries this term and the full-back area has been a particular headache for the Italian head coach.

Brighton have been without Joel Veltman, Pervis Estupinan Tariq Lamptey, Solly March and Igor for long periods but have continued to perform well and are eighth in the Premier League, through to the knockout stages of the Europa League and into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Ahead of the clash with Gary O’Neil’s Wolves, Brighton were whisked away for a period of warm weather training in Dubai. It appears to have worked wonders for Lamptey as he is now set to return – ahead of schedule – to face Wolves.

Lamptey has had a frustrating season as injuries continues to hinder his progress. The former Chelsea man was one of the best players on the during their 2-2 Europa League draw in Marseille on October 5 but then didn’t feature until November 25 in the 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest.

Lamptey lasted just 30 minutes at the City Ground before he broke down again with a thigh injury. The club posted encouraging pictures of their star full-back training in Dubai and yesterday De Zerbi confirmed he his finally available for selection once more after missing the previous 11 matches since Forest.

Roberto De Zerbi said, "We are enduring a very tough period in terms of injuries. Tariq Lamptey is back, he can be in the squad for tomorrow. Webster played at Stoke and West Ham, but at the moment Igor is out, Ansu Fati, Julio Enciso and Joel Veltman are all still out."

Brighton do however remain without Veltman (knee), Igor (knock), March (knee), Julio Enciso (knee), Ansu Fati (thigh), while Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra are competing at the Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations respectively.