Mats Wieffer has struggled with different injuries since joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Feyenoord in July 2024. He’s been forced to spend over 100 days on the sidelines.
The Netherlands international started in the first two league matches. He was out of the squad for the next two league games against Manchester City and AFC Bournemouth.
Wieffer played 84 minutes in Brighton’s 2-0 defeat to Everton on August 24th and in the run up to this match he overstretched his knee in training.
That’s according to Algemeen Dagblad. The Dutch newspaper have interviewed the 25-year-old to discuss his fitness situation.
The defensive midfielder, who can also operate as a right-back, says playing against the Toffees resulted in him missing the following two league matches.
“I ended up playing almost the entire match. After that, I had so much trouble that I was out of action for a while. It’s better now, although it’s not completely over yet,” he said.
The Seagulls reportedly invested €30m to secure the Dutchman’s services in 2024. However, he arrived at The Amex with a thigh problem. That mean he couldn’t do a full pre-season.
“Lot of stupid injuries”
Although he suffered a blow to his knee last month, the versatile player was able to have a full pre-season with the Premier League club this summer. He’s opened up on his difficult period since moving to England a year ago.
“I’ve suffered a lot of stupid injuries,” Wieffer explained.
“I played the first match [last season] but was immediately sidelined. I never really got into my rhythm.
“It was a real struggle anyway. The Premier League isn’t just any competition. Being sidelined for extended periods on top of that doesn’t help. Things are going well now. Participating fully in pre-season makes a big difference. Last summer, I had no substance. Now I do. And then you immediately see that everything is easier.”
The Dutchman is now fit and came off the bench at the weekend. He assisted Maxim De Cuyper’s late goal in Brighton’s 3-1 win over Chelsea.
