Fabian Hurzeler issues Jan Paul van Hecke injury verdict and a revised return date for James Milner

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler admitted the injury to key defender Jan Paul van Hecke had a big impact on the team in last two Premier league matches.

Van Hecke is expected to be fit in time face Newcastle, having missed the away loss at Chelsea and the home victory against Tottenham with a groin issue.

The Seagulls conceded six goals during his two-match absence and Hurzeler hopes for an improved defensive display at St James’ Park this Saturday.

“When some players get injured you really notice how bad you miss them,” said the German head coach to Sussex World. “That was the case with Jan Paul van Hecke.

"He is a personality and a communicator. He always wants to win every game and training session. We missed that. On top of that, he has individual quality that makes him a Dutch national player and that is a quality we need in our squad.

"But I was also happy with Adam [Webster] and Igor [Julio] and how they replaced him. It's good to have him and we are really happy that he will be an option [against Newcastle].”

Sixth placed Brighton have leaked 13 goals in seven matches under Hurzeler – the most of any team in the top half of the table.

"It must settle down if we want to be successful,” Hurzeler added. “The defence wins championships. We have to improve the way we defend, it starts with the striker, it ends with the goalkeeper, but it's always a togetherness.

“We faced Chelsea, we faced Tottenham with big individual quality, but we will face the same individual quality now against Newcastle. And the challenge will be, or the most important thing will be that we don't concede a goal and that we are all on the same page.

“It’s all clear that everyone has a responsibility to defend. If you have this mindset, I think that the first step is done. But then we have to behave tactically in the right way. I was quite happy how we defended against Tottenham the second half.

"That was the togetherness, it was clever how we defended as a team and this has to be the benchmark for us because you can't concede that many goals if you want to reach your goals.”

Meanwhile James Milner’s recovery from a hamstring injury received a set back and the 38-year-old has been ruled-out for the Newcastle fixture.

"He had a small setback. It's not that positive as it was before the international break. We have to be patient. It's not a thing that will be solved in one or two weeks. It will take several weeks. We can't give a clear schedule when he will be back, but before the break we were more positive, I can be honest about that."