Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has said Super Eagles forward Femi Azeez might get his first game after the international break if he gets fit enough.
Azeez will not play in Saturday’s match against Premier League champions Arsenal at the American Express Stadium. He is still recovering from an injury.
The 25-year-old joined Brighton from Millwall on transfer deadline day for just over £15m. But he has not played for the team yet.
At a press conference on Friday, Hurzeler said the break gives Azeez a chance to recover and learn how Brighton plays.
“He needs to use this upcoming international break to get back to his highest physical level and get used to our style of play,” Hurzeler told BBC Sport.
“Firstly, we will look to work with him individually, then hopefully he will be integrated back into the team. Definitely, after the international break, he will be at a top level, and then we can use him in games. So that’s the plan. Hopefully, it will come like this, but, yeah, let’s see.”
Azeez got injured just a few minutes into Millwall’s 2-0 win over Bristol City in the first game of the 2026/27 Championship season.
He has missed Brighton’s last three matches, including the Carabao Cup third-round game against Manchester United. Hurzeler had earlier said Azeez was close to playing.
The injury also kept him out of the Super Eagles squad named by Eric Chelle for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, plus the friendly against Russia.
Azeez had a strong 2025/26 season with Millwall, scoring 11 goals and making seven assists in the Championship. He could make his debut in Brighton’s first match after the break against Sunderland.
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