Pole may have to wait for it at Albion
Brighton boss Graham Potter has cooled expectations that Michal Karbownik will instantly fill the void left by Solly March’s injury.
March suffered a knee injury in the 1-0 win at Liverpool last week and questions are being asked over who will now play at left wing-back, with the 26-year-old expected to be out for around 12 weeks after undergoing surgery.
Karbownik, who can play as a full-back or a midfielder, signed for Brighton from Legia Warsaw in October but was loaned straight back to the Polish club to further his development.
The 19-year-old was recalled from his loan spell last month and has trained with the Albion first-team in recent weeks, and was named among the substitutes for the games against Liverpool and Burnley.
After being capped three times by Poland and having played in both the Champions League and Europa League for Legia, Brighton fans could be forgiven for assuming Karbownik is the natural choice to replace March.
However, Potter insists the teenager needs to be given time to adjust to his new surroundings after not playing competitive football since his arrival in England.
Potter said: “Sean Dyche was talking about when you sign a player how long it can take.
“He was mentioning it with Dale (Stephens) and how it takes time to understand how the team is workinge.
“You consider that with a young player who has come from a different country, is still developing the language, still developing his understanding of football generally. It’s not so easy.
“I think he is an option.”