Major injury boost for Brighton as £25m ace returns for Man City clash after 11-match absence

Brighton midfielder Matt O'Riley hopes to be in today's matchday squad to face Manchester City at the Amex Stadium.

The £25m summer signing from Celtic has had a frustrating start to his Albion career following an ankle injury six minutes into his debut in a Carabao Cup match against Crawley Town.

O'Riley underwent ankle surgery and managed to stay positive throughout his rehabilitation and is now ready for first team action.

The Denmark international has been training with Fabian Hurzeler's first team group for the past few weeks and could feature against Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions.

“I’m very hopeful that I’ll be in the squad this weekend,” the 23-year-old said. “I’ve been outside (on the training pitch) for over three weeks now. Fitness-wise I could still improve but I feel good. These are the games you want to play in, so why not?

“I feel good and it’s nice to touch footballs again. It has gone pretty quickly, to be fair. I’ve been in a good place considering. It has taken quite a lot of work as well, and not just by me, which is something I’m very conscious of.”

O'Riley's return arrives at an ideal time for Brigton as midfielder Carlos Beleba has a knee issue, Yasin Ayari is a doubt with an ankle problem and James Milner remains side-lined with a hamstring injury. Mats Wieffer has also struggled for form and fitness following his £25m summer arrival from Feyenoord.

The former Celtic man added: “I can see where my role might be in the team so that when I come back into the team I will be prepared. Those are the positives.”