Brighton injury news: Albion's £4.5m attacker issues update ahead of Chelsea

Mitoma has been out of action for Albion having sustained the problem during the second half of Brighton's 2-0 loss at Brentford.

The attacker has been a key man as an impact sub this season and impressed in the 3-3 draw at Liverpool and also during the narrow 1-0 loss to Tottenham at the Amex Stadium.

Mitoma was pushing hard for a starting role in Roberto De Zerbi's team before the injury halted his progress.

The Chelsea match at the Amex Stadium this Saturday may arrive too soon for the 25-year-old but he expects to be fit and firing again for Japan at the Qatar World.

“My trainer said I can get back in time,” said Mitoma speaking to The Japan Times. “Now I’m only thinking about how quickly I can recover.”

Mitoma is one of the best players to emerge from Japan for many years and signed for Brighton from Kawasaki Frontale for around £4.5m. He impressed at Union SG while on loan and is now starting to make an impression with Brighton in the Premier League.

"I think I've improved a lot, as the intensity of training and the quality of my teammates are pretty high," he added. “Obviously by playing in matches against these top class teams (in the Premier League), I can feel myself developing so now I think it is important for me to get into the starting lineup as soon as possible.

"The intensity of training, fighting for every ball, the tense atmosphere in each match and the fierce rivalries…It feels like we are all playing for our lives - both players and the fans, which is something different from what I was used to before I came to Europe.

"Obviously it's very different from Japan. In terms of the speed of the game, I think it's similar to Belgium in some ways, but the biggest difference here is the technical level. What really stands out here is the individual quality. In Belgium, it was more about the pace going forward, rather than technical skill."