Brighton midfielder Kaoru Mitoma ruled out of Premier League opening match

Japan international Kaoru Mitoma suffered a hamstring injury on 9 May while playing for Brighton & Hove Albion. He underwent surgery on 25 May and is expected to need four to six months of rehabilitation.

The club’s preseason camp in Austria is set to proceed without him, and local reports indicate his presence has not been confirmed at the training base. Because of the delayed recovery, Mitoma is unlikely to be available for Brighton’s opening Premier League fixture against Aston Villa on 23 August, and he has also been omitted from Japan’s World Cup squad.