Matt O'Riley injury return timeline revealed as Brighton expect 'fast' recovery from Celtic hero

Brighton expect Matt O'Riley to be back in action 'fast' after a positive update over his ankle injury.

The midfielder joined the Seagulls from Celtic for a Scottish record transfer expected to reach £30m, but his hopes of making an instant impact were crushed within minutes on his debut. He was straight into the starting XI for their EFL Cup tie with Crawley Town, but just eight minutes were on the clock when a poor challenge from Jay Williams put him on the sidelines.

After the game, which Brighton won 4-0, new boss Fabian Hurzeler slammed the challenge and admitted his players got 'emotional' from there. He revealed O'Riley was set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, but now it seems it's not as bad as first feared. Asked for an update on O'Riley ahead of their return to Premier League action against Ipswich, Hurzeler said: "He's in very good spirits. He has a great character, a great attitude, so immediately after the surgery he was very, very positive.

"He is around us in the training ground, he is doing his rehab already. I think he will be coming back quite fast."

Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.