'He wants to' – Major boost for Brighton ahead of Newcastle as star man returns after horror injury

Brighton received positive news on the injury front ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United.

Jan Paul van Hecke suffered a nasty head injury in the recent 4-2 loss at Brentford and missed last Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 win against West Ham.

The excellent Carlos Baleba and skipper Lewis Dunk formed the central defensive barrier but Van Hecke is expected to return to the starting XI this Saturday to face the Champions League-chasing Magpies.

Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: "He [Van Hecke] trained yesterday and after the training he immediately came to me and said he wants to play.”

The return of Van Hecke will likely see Baleba move back into his preferred central midfield role.

There was also positive news for defenders Adam Webster and Igor Julio who have both recovered from their hamstring injuries and could feature in the matchday squad against Newcastle.

There was also positive news for Georginio Rutter who has missed the last seven matches with an ankle injury. The Newcastle match will likely arrive too soon for the £40m summer signing from Leeds United but Hurzeler said he expects him to feature once again this term.

The away trip to Wolves on May 10 is a potential return date for Georginio.

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