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Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has revealed that Femi Azeez is not yet ready to make his competitive debut for the club.
Azeez joined the Seagulls from Sky Bet Championship side Millwall on transfer deadline day.
However, the winger’s Brighton debut has been delayed as he continues to recover from an injury sustained on the opening day of the season while playing for Millwall.
The Nigeria international featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the three-week international break as he works towards regaining full fitness and adapting to life at his new club.
Azeez Still Adapting To Life At Brighton
Speaking ahead of Brighton’s trip to Sunderland on Saturday, Hurzeler explained that the 24-year-old is still adjusting to the physical demands and intensity of his new environment.
“He played in a friendly game and he had some minor issues this week,” Hurzeler was quoted as saying by The Argus.
“What I mean by that is his body needs to adapt to our intensity, to our demands, the demands in the Premier League.
“I think he’s feeling now that he’s in his adaptation phase.
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“It’s not an injury but there are some small, minor issues and, again, he’s a player who is quite sensitive.
“We have to get a feeling now of what makes sense for him.
“Does it make sense to play tomorrow, does it make sense to play in the next game?
“It’s a decision we have to do together.”
Adaptation Important For New Signings
The Brighton boss stressed the importance of allowing new signings sufficient time to settle into the squad, adding that players respond differently to the demands of a new environment.
“Like with all the new players, we have to be patient,” Hurzeler said.
“That’s no surprise for us. We are patient with every player who steps new into this environment.
“We try to give him a good environment where you can improve and where he can adapt to certain things.
“Some players need more time, some players are quicker. We have to see how Femi reacts to this.”
By Adeboye Amosu
