Whitecaps loan Adekugbe to Brighton & Hove Albion

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced Friday the loan of Canadian left full-back Sam Adekugbe to English Championship outfit Brighton & Hove Albion until June 2017.

"We continue to look for ways for our young players to develop and this will be a great opportunity for Sam," head coach Carl Robinson said in a statement. "We'll be tracking his progress closely while on loan as he remains an important member of our club."

The 21-year-old has made 10 appearances in four seasons with the Whitecaps, and the thrice-capped Canadian international rejoins the Seagulls having spent some time training with the club during the past offseason.

"We know all about Sam and his qualities from his time with us last December," Brighton manager Chris Hughton said. "He initially began with our under-21 group, but quickly showed he was capable of stepping up to train with our first team.

"He will join the under-21 squad and his challenge, along with others, is to make that step up into the first-team squad."