Brighton and Hove Albion have been dealt another injury blow to a first-team favourite alongside Solly March, according to an update from Roberto De Zerbi.
What's the latest injury news at Brighton?
The Amex Stadium outfit have Pervis Estupinan, Tariq Lamptey, Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder all out on the sidelines with their own respective injuries, and over the weekend, they were joined in the treatment room by another regular feature on the south coast.
During Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League away defeat to Manchester City, Solly March left the pitch on a stretcher after a knee injury resulted in him experiencing severe pain and being unable to walk, but unfortunately for the boss, he wasn’t the only player to be forced off the field earlier than expected.
At the Etihad, Danny Welbeck also had to depart the grass after sustaining a muscle injury so was replaced by Evan Ferguson after just 16 minutes, which wasn’t great news for the manager, who had to watch his striker walk away from the action prematurely.
So far this season, England’s former international has started seven out of the opening nine fixtures in the top-flight (WhoScored – Welbeck statistics), which highlights how much of an integral member of the squad he is, but if the following update is to be believed, the 32-year-old may face a wait to stage his comeback.
Danny Welbeck injury update
Speaking during his post-match interview following the weekend's loss to Man City, De Zerbi delivered an injury update on Welbeck and March. As quoted by BBC Sport, he confirmed Welbeck will at the very least miss the Ajax match: "The worst thing today is I think we are losing March for a long time. I'm frustrated, we lost two important players.
"It's tough because we play against Ajax – a crucial game – without [Pervis] Estupinan, [Tariq] Lamptey, March and Welbeck.
"We need more players. We are not used to playing in European competition. We have to find a solution to play and compete in every competition."
How much does Danny Welbeck earn per week?
With the Seagulls, Welbeck currently pockets £55k-per-week (Brighton salaries) which he has more than earned during his time at the club, therefore, it will end up being a huge blow for De Zerbi should he lose the services of his centre-forward for the foreseeable future.
The Longsight-born talent has posted 30 contributions, 20 goals and ten assists, in 99 outings since putting pen to paper (Transfermarkt – Welbeck statistics), form which has previously seen him hailed an “important” first-team player by journalist Josh Bunting.
Furthermore, Welbeck, who is sponsored by Nike, is a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even as an attacking midfielder, though this is another quality that the head coach will have to cope without having at his disposal should his star be facing a spell on the sidelines.