Young Brighton loan stars miss out on call-ups for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Karbownik has excelled in Germany for 2. Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf this campaign. The 21-year-old left-back has provided four assists in 12 games in all competitions since joining from Albion on a season-long loan in August.

Kozłowski, meanwhile, has netted two goals and created one assist in 11 matches for Dutch Eredivisie outfit Vitesse Arnhem. The 19-year-old midfielder, who joined the Seagulls from Polish club Pogoń Szczecin in 2018, moved to Vitesse on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season in August.

But, despite thriving on loan, the young Brighton pair have not done enough to impress Poland manager Czesław Michniewicz – with Kozłowski having to settle for a place in Biało-czerwoni’s under-21 squad for their upcoming friendly matches against Croatia and Turkey.

Speaking to Polish outlet Interia Sport, Michniewicz said: “Initially, I was thinking about Karbownik, because it can give us an option on the left side and in the middle.

“But he will not replace [former Arsenal and Charlton defender Krystian] Bielik or [ex-PSG and West Brom midfielder Grzegorz] Krychowiak, if they were injured.

“When I saw Damian Szymański play for AEK, I thought that one of the goalkeepers should be replaced with him.”

Speaking to Polish website Weszło, Michniewicz added: “I thought that Damian Szymański would be useful, [that’s why] I went especially to Greece.

“We watched Kuba Piotrowski, Kacper Kozłowski, Michał Karbownik [but], in my opinion, Damian Szymański is in top shape.”

Kozłowski was named in Poland’s squad for last summer’s delayed UEFA Euro 2020. He featured in Biało-czerwoni’s 1-1 draw with Spain to become the youngest player of any nationality to play at a European Championship, aged 17 years and 246 days.