Brighton’s striker spotted in training and could start at Bournemouth 

João Pedro was seen in training yesterday with fellow striker Georginio Rutter, who joined last summer for £40m from Leeds United.

Following the international break, Brighton are back in training and are getting prepared for Saturday’s Premier League clash at Bournemouth.

Fabian Hurzeler’s men are sixth in the top flight with 19 points from their first 11 matches. They recently enjoyed a sweet 2-1 victory against champions Manchester City at the Amex Stadium. This is thanks to goals from substitutes Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley.

Their return from their injuries is a huge boost for the team as they look forward to the busy festive schedule. They will start with Andoni Iraola’s 12th placed team.

Pedro has only done three starts this season due to ankle and knee issues. However the £30m Brazilian still has three goals and an assist so far this term. The 23-year-old have the international break to improve his fitness further. He will hope to start for the first time since the 1-1 draw at Arsenal back in August.

“[Pedro] always has extra motivation. Every time I speak with him, he is waiting to come back on the pitch as quickly as possible. He is a player who can make a difference on the pitch. Hopefully he is stable for the next month and then play a whole season for us.” Hurzeler said to Sussex World.

“He is a person who is very happy that the team is doing well. You can feel it in the locker room. I’m sure that he is happy that Danny [Welbeck] and Georginio are in this shape. It is also possible that they might all play together.”

Brighton have injury concerns with Lewis Dunk (calf), James Milner (hamstring), Jack Hinshelwood (knee), Solly March (knee), Carlos Baleba (knee), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Yankuba Minteh (muscular), Tariq Lamptey (calf), Adam Webster (thigh).