De Zerbi decision ahead of Man United confirmed after illness to Brighton boss

Roberto De Zerbi has recovered from illness and will be in the dug out tonight as eighth placed Brighton seek to gain revenge against Manchester United.

The high-flying Seagulls surpassed their Premier League points record by moving on to 52 with Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Wolves, which reignited the club’s quest to reach Europe.

Fourth-placed United travel to the south coast just 11 days after inflicting an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat on Albion in the FA Cup semi-final.

The Seagulls’ chances of catching United and scraping into the Champions League spots are extremely slim as they sit 11 points adrift, albeit with a game in hand.

Yet a top-five finish remains a distinct possibility going into Albion’s final seven fixtures in a hectic last month of the campaign. It was unclear if De Zerbi would be on the touchline for this one as the Italian was ill yesterday causing the pre-match press conference to be cancelled. It seems though the 43-year-old has recovered in time and will be on the touchline.

Experienced striker Danny Welbeck is set to start tonight and he believes his boss has made a huge impact since joining the Seagulls.

“Every single day at the training ground he’s always the same,” and Welbeck.

“He’s very direct and he knows how he wants his team to play and, credit to the boys, everybody has bought into his style.

“He keeps everybody motivated, everybody on their toes wanting to be better, wanting to improve, the young players are getting opportunities. He’s doing an unbelievable job.

“I’m loving it. It’s very enjoyable. It’s a great football club to be at.”