Knockaert racing to be fit for Brighton's inaugural Premier League match
Last season's Championship Player of the Year, Anthony Knockaert, is battling to be fit for Brighton & Hove Albion's first-ever Premier League match on Aug. 12.
The Frenchman concerned Brighton's management and fans when he fell to an ankle injury in the Seagulls' opening pre-season friendly at Fortuna Dusseldorf last Friday.
Manager Chris Hughton quelled some fears surrounding Knockaert's ailment on Thursday, estimating a timeline for the player's return that would see him match-ready just two days before the season opener against Manchester City.
"We're very hopeful that he'll make the season," Hughton told the club website ahead of Saturday's trip to League Two's Crawley Town.
"The good thing is he's got the first two-and-a-half weeks of training under his belt."
Brighton rose from the Championship as the runner-up in the 2016-17 campaign, when it used a solid defence as the foundation for another impressive term in the second tier. Knockaert was instrumental at the other end of the park, scoring 15 goals and concocting eight assists predominantly from the right flank.
The upcoming term will be Brighton's first in the top flight since it was relegated in 1983 under the management of Jimmy Melia.