Highly-rated Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth is back training with the Premier League club after his loan at Walsall ended.
Rushworth made 43 appearances for Walsall keeping 11 clean sheets for the 16th placed Saddlers in League Two this term. His efforts saw the shot-stopper, 20, named the club’s players' player of the season and supporters' young player of the season as well as earning an England U21 call-up.
Rushworth is under contract at the South Coast until 2025 and Brighton have now got him in to train with their first team. Seagulls boss Graham Potter has gone with Robert Sanchez as his No.1 with Jason Steele as back up recently but Rushworth is joining in training with them.
There is already plenty of interest to take the shot-stopper on loan next term from Championship clubs. He is training with Albion before a break ahead of potentially joining the England U21s , if selected this summer.
The south coast club are in high spirits after just one defeat in seven games to record their best-ever Premier League points haul. Skipper Lewis Dunk says they have improved this season despite the £50million sale of Ben White to Arsenal last July.
Now the big clubs are again circling for Albion’s Mali midfielder Bissouma, 25, whose contract expires next year. But Dunk believes Albion have a ready-made replacement in exciting Ecuador international Moises Caicedo. The powerful central midfielder, 20, has impressed and scored against United after spending the first half of the season on loan at Belgium side KFCO Beerschot-W.
Asked about Bissouma’s future, skipper Dunk,30, replied: “I hope we keep the team together and keep pushing on but we have the depth in the squad to fill in and boys have stepped up. If the time comes and boys move on, like Ben White last year, I was buzzing for him. We lost one but we have other people as back-up to come in and perform.
“I think it shows because Moises Caicedo has waited for his opportunity and the last few games he has been outstanding. I think that just shows what we have got at this club. We have great work ethic and togetherness on the training pitch which gives us our foundations. That is the only reason he has been able to perform like that because we work so hard on the training pitch.”
