Fabian Hurzeler had some positive Brighton team news to deliver with Charalampos Kostoulas set to return from injury for the FA Cup third round tie at Man United.
Kostoulas enjoyed an excellent full Premier League debut in the 2-0 win over Burnley before disappearing off the face of the Earth for the midweek 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
His surprise omission at the Etihad Stadium was explained by Hurzeler on Wednesday night as being because of a small issue.
In his Friday afternoon press conference ahead of the trip to Old Trafford, The Youngest Permanent Manager in Premier League History said Kostoulas “should be an option to start the game.”
The same goes for Joel Veltman. Like Kostoulas, Veltman delivered a fine individual performance against the Clarets. Also like Kostoulas, he was side lined at City with a small issue not previously mentioned by Hurzeler.
With Mats Wieffer also injured, Jack Hinshelwood stepped into the right back roll against the Abu Dhabi Sporswashers.
Hinshelwood ended up giving his best performance for some time, leaving Hurzeler with something of a dilemma over his FA Cup team selection.
Something which is probably not restricted to right back. Hurzeler has always been consistent in his message that he would like to win a first piece of major silverware for Brighton instead of focussing solely on Premier League finishing position.
If the Albion are to do that in the 2025-26 season FA Cup, Hurzeler will need to select a full strength side to stand a chance of eliminating United.
When asked about potential rotation in his Friday morning press conference, Hurzeler said: “There will be opportunities for others but we take this competition very seriously.”
“It is a good chance to prove ourselves and show how far we are in our development. If you want to achieve something you have to beat the best teams.”
Predicting how Brighton will line up against Man United when the team news is released on Sunday afternoon is therefore a difficult task.
As well as Hinshelwood did at the Etihad, the Albion defence always looks more balanced with Veltman there. An actual right back playing right back and all that.
Danny Welbeck would normally ne nailed on to lead the line at Old Trafford on account of his phenomenal scoring record against his old club.
Although the selection of Dat Guy may not be that straightforward. Welbeck has only been fit enough to sit on the bench for the past two matches, presumably because the niggling back injury which ruled him out for parts of December refuses to go away.
Kostoulas also gave Hurzeler food for thought in the Burnley game. The Greek teenager will have fond memories of Old Trafford.
He scored when Brighton lost 4-2 away against United in the Premier League back in October, powering home a bullet header at the end of a fearless cameo from the bench.
In terms of players Hurzeler does definitely not need to worry about, Wieffer is set to miss a fourth successive game with an unspecified toe problem.
Adam Webster, Stefanos Tzimas and Solly March all remain on the long term absentee list. March enjoyed a fairy tale moment at this stage of the FA Cup one year ago, marking his second game back after 15 months out with a stunning goal as the Albion eased past Norwich City.