'Unbelievable' - Man City legend gives Brighton players a surprise boost before Newcastle United clash

Fabian Hurzeler enjoyed picking the brains of a special visitor to Brighton this week as they prepare for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle.

Former Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure spent time at Albion’s training ground this week talking to Hurzeler and his players.

“In general we are a very open club and we always want to learn from other departments and other personalities,” said the Brighton boss.

“He’s an unbelievable personality. He was a great player so therefore we have two aspects when he was here.

“The first one is he has a good relationship to the African players and I think it’s very important we have someone there who can talk with the players, who has an understanding of where they come from, how is the culture there and what are their needs. I think that’s something where I also can learn from.

“And on the other side he was a great player so he can give me and the players some small advice on what it needs to be at the highest level.

“We had a really interesting exchange. Although I didn’t have that much time, I took away a lot of things and for sure we’ll stay in touch and let’s see how this relationship continues.”

Hurzeler added: “It was just interesting to get an understanding of how he adapted to the Premier League. He needed time to be a good player in the Premier League. He said that the physical demands, they were completely different in the league he played before.

"He gives an understanding of how he adapted, what helped him to adapt, and on the other side, he shared some nice stories, because he had some great coaches in his life and he always took something away from the coaches. He shared two pieces of advice. What stayed in his mind, what he learned from the coaches. And that's something that I can also take away.”

Brighton go into Sunday’s game buoyed by last weekend’s last-gasp 3-2 victory over West Ham, which ended a five-game winless run in the Premier League and reignited their European push.

Hurzeler confirmed defender Jan Paul van Hecke will be available after he missed the West Ham game with a head injury, while Adam Webster and Igor Julio could also feature.

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