Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley will undergo surgery on his ankle after suffering a “bad” injury on his debut for the club.
The Denmark international was forced off less than 10 minutes into his debut against Crawley on Tuesday after being on the receiving end of a crunching tackle.
O’Riley, 23, completed a £25m move to Brighton from Celtic on Monday.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler described the tackle from Crawley’s Jay Williams as “ridiculous” after the 4-0 win and says the midfielder is now set for a stint on the sidelines.
“It is like we expected, it is a bad injury and he needs surgery on his ankle,” said Hurzeler.
“I can’t say how long or when we expect him to be back because of rehabilitation. It is a tough one for us but we will try to support him the best we can.”
Hurzeler added that O’Riley was “very disappointed” but said the midfielder will be “back stronger”.
Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has been linked with an exit from Brighton before the transfer window closes on Friday, with Napoli interested.
Hurzeler says the club will review their plans for Gilmour in light of O’Riley’s injury.
