Femi Azeez: What Nigerian star must do before Brighton debut

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has explained what Super Eagles forward Femi Azeez must do to be in contention for his debut, Soccernet.ng reports.

Azeez completed a move worth just over £15 million to the Seagulls on summer transfer deadline day but is yet to make an appearance as he continues his recovery from injury.

The 25-year-old picked up the injury during Millwall’s 2-0 win over Bristol City in the opening game of the 2026/27 Championship season. Azeez was forced off just a few minutes into the encounter and has not featured since.

He has since missed Brighton’s last three games, including their midweek Carabao Cup third-round clash against Manchester United. 

The former Reading star was also left out of the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau by Eric Chelle as he continues his recovery from injury.

Hurzeler had previously revealed that Azeez was close to featuring against the Red Devils and the Brighton boss has now provided the latest update on the availability of the Nigerian forward.

Femi Azeez ruled out of Brighton clash against Arsenal

Brighton welcome Arsenal to the American Express Stadium as they look to continue their impressive start to the season and build on their recent run of results. However, Azeez will miss the clash once again, with Hurzeler revealing that the Nigerian winger is not yet ready to return.

The Brighton boss expects Azeez to be ready to play after the international break, provided he reaches the required physical level and becomes familiar with the club’s style of play.

“He needs to use this upcoming international break to get back to his highest physical level and get used to our style of play”, Hurzeler told BBC Sport during his pre-match press conference.

“Firstly, we will look to work with him individually, then hopefully he will be integrated back into the team. If all goes to plan, he will definitely be at the level after the international break and hopefully we can start to use him in games.”

Femi Azeez enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 campaign with Millwall, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists in the Championship and will hope to replicate that form once he is fully fit.

The Nigerian forward will now focus on reaching full fitness during the international break, with an eye on making his long-awaited debut in Brighton’s first game after the window against Sunderland.