Femi Azeez injury update before Brighton vs Sunderland

Femi Azeez has taken a significant step towards his long-awaited Brighton & Hove Albion debut after returning to training with his new team-mates.

However, the Nigerian winger still has one important hurdle to clear before he can finally make his Premier League bow.

Azeez has yet to play a competitive minute for Brighton since completing his deadline-day move from Millwall on September 2.

The 25-year-old arrived at the Amex carrying a minor hamstring problem, forcing Fabian Hurzeler to manage his workload carefully during the opening weeks of his Brighton career. The injury ruled him out of the club’s Premier League meeting with Leeds United on September 5 and continued to frustrate his attempts to break into the side.

Brighton subsequently faced Coventry City and Manchester United, with Azeez still waiting for his opportunity. Hurzeler had hoped the winger could return before the September international break, but a setback pushed that timetable back.

Femi Azeez set to shine at Brighton

It appears the worst is over for Femi Azeez, who has taken a major step towards making his Super Eagles debut.

The Super Eagles winger has now been pictured training with Brighton’s first-team squad ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Sunderland. If he gets the green light from the club’s medical unit, the former Millwall man could finally be involved at the Stadium of Light.

Still, the next major hurdle for Hurzeler-backed Azeez, after getting some training sessions into his legs, is to get his body to cope with the intensity of competitive football after his period on the sidelines.

Brighton, though, have shown patience with the man who terrorised the English second-tier all through last season.

Playing primarily on the right wing under Alex Neil, Azeez developed into one of the Championship’s most dangerous wide players. He scored 11 goals and supplied seven assists in 37 Championship appearances.

The Nigerian helped Millwall pushed into the play-offs before Hull City ended their promotion hopes. He was subsequently included in both the PFA and EFL Championship teams of the season.

Still, Azeez may need to step up his game to break into a Brighton side that’s been a menace for the big and the small in the Premier League so far this term.

Brighton have started the season with an incredible attacking surge, beating Aston Villa 4-0, Coventry City 5-0 and Arsenal 3-0 while also defeating Manchester United 3-2 in the Carabao Cup.