Fabian Hurzeler's pre-Manchester United press conference

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The head coach looks ahead to the final game of the season on Sunday.

2026-05-21T17:00+01:00

Fabian Hurzeler speaks to the media ahead of Sunday's game against Manchester United. 📷Paul Hazlewood.

Sunday could be a great day for the football club. How excited are you personally by that?

"Really excited because I think that this team deserves it. They really went through a lot of highs and lows during the season, but one thing they always did was finding a solution against adversity and bouncing back after setbacks. And therefore, I'm really happy for the players that they are in this place.

And the second thing I'm proud of is that the fans can experience something special. The fans can support us. The fans will support us. The fans will be there for us, and I think it's also our responsibility now regarding the weekend to make them proud, to give them something back. So definitely really happy and proud for my team, but also for my fans."

What are your thoughts ahead of facing Manchester United?

"We can achieve it if we stick to our approach through the whole season, stick to our principles, stick to good preparation, stick to a good togetherness. Then we definitely can beat every team at home. But we know it will be a big challenge against Manchester United.

"Manchester United play an outstanding season, especially since (Michael) Carrick arrived. They really look like a team. They have individual quality, so we have to play at our highest level to win this game. But we try to focus on our approach. We try to focus on our preparation, then we have a big chance.

"You've had good games against Manchester United, and by the time Sunday comes around, they could have a new permanent head coach in place. What have you made of the job that Michael Carrick has done since taking over?

"Great job. They play an unbelievable season since he arrived. They seem to be like a really strong team again. And when we talk about Manchester United, we talk about one of the biggest clubs in the world. And they involve, of course, the biggest players in the world. So we expect a team full of individual quality. We expect a team, although they don't play for anything anymore, that is motivated, a team that wants to beat us. So therefore we have to be at our highest level to compete with them."

Bruno Fernandes could break a new Premier League assists record on Sunday. 📷James Boardman

Bruno Fernandes will be looking to set a new assist record against Brighton on Sunday. How do you prepare for going up against a player like that?

"Very difficult to defend him one against one. Outstanding player, outstanding skills. So when you see him playing, it's definitely a joy. But on the weekend we have to stop it as a team. We have to defend him as a team. Like I mentioned, it's not possible to defend him one against one. You need to take the joy away from him. You need to take the spaces away from him.

"But even then he tries to find small margins where he can be effective. So therefore, we have to stay alive for 90 minutes. We have to be very compact as a team. We have to play intensely. We have to always create numerical advantage near the ball and that's our responsibility at the weekend."

Pascal Gross loves playing against Manchester United. I think it's seven goals and two assists in the times he's played against them. What is it about him and Man United?

"You need to ask him. But at the Players' Awards we had on Tuesday a lot of supporters came to me and said, 'Just give the ball to Pascal.' And there might be a match plan to just give the ball to him and then say, 'Now it's your turn. You're so successful against United!' And I think it's always important that a player has a good feeling when facing an opponent. And I think a player like him has this confidence also that he can be a game changer for us in this game because he proved it in the past and hopefully he can do it one more time."

Pascal Gross will be hoping to add to his seven goals against Manchester United on Sunday.

Were you a bit relieved when Erling Haaland scored that equaliser against Bournemouth for Manchester City?

"I wouldn’t say relief, but I think it definitely changes something. It changes the situation in the table. It's part of it that if a team is playing that is in a similar situation like us, then you follow it. But in the end, we especially understand that we need to focus on ourselves. We can't change the other games, we can't change the other results. And therefore the main approach will be to really try to focus on our approach and our performance."

Have you got any plans if things are not going the way you want to be kept in touch with other things that could be happening in other games?

"No, because we can't influence our results. What we can influence is our result at the weekend. I mentioned it before, I think you can play the result game or you can play the execution game, and we definitely want to play the execution game because that means you focus on the action, the next action and the next action after that.

“You can focus on your effort, on your attitude, on your mindset, on your preparation. These are all things you can control. And then we'll get the outcome we deserve based on our performance. And on top of that, we can't influence how the other teams will play, so therefore the focus should be definitely on our performance and our approach, and hopefully we can get the result we want."

We've heard the atmosphere a lot louder in those games against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea at the Amex. How important is it that the fans really get behind you and get you over the line this Sunday?

"They proved it this season. No matter if you play at home or away, they created an atmosphere that was outstanding. So I'm really pleased to build this connection with the fans. And especially the last home games, they created an atmosphere that is really helpful for us. We feel it on the pitch. I feel it on the sidelines. And therefore, I hope we all can give us a last push. We all can really stick together one more time. We all can create an energetic and powerful atmosphere where it's difficult to play in. And then we hopefully can celebrate together afterwards."

You mentioned focusing on your team. What's the team news ahead of this one?

"No new injury concerns, so that's positive. Mats Wieffer is an option to come back. And all the other players, they are available."

If Danny Welbeck is available, it'll be his 400th appearance in the Premier League. Back in 2008, he made his debut for Manchester United. Fast-forward all these years, he's still playing. What's that a sign of?

"I think it's a sign of his professionalism, for how hard he works, for his daily work ethic. And I'm really happy for Danny, for his season. Let's wait until Friday and hopefully he will be announced for the England squad. And I think he will, so he gets the rewards he deserves because of his achievements this season. And therefore hopefully he can do it another time for us on Sunday."

If you had a favourite Danny Welbeck quality or moment, what would it be?

"It's difficult to point out one thing. For me, what stands out is the development from him, the process he went through. Because I think the last two seasons he scored the most goals ever. He played the most minutes ever in the Premier League. And therefore, it shows that even when you get older, you still have a chance that you can improve, that you can achieve things.

Having been named Players' Player of the Season this week, Danny Welbeck could make his 400th Premier League appearance on Sunday.

“And I think he should be a role model for everyone outside that if you never give up, if you keep believing in your quality, if you keep working hard, then you can do these kinds of great achievements. And on top of that, I think the truth is also that we have a really good medical department that helps them play these kinds of minutes, that helps them perform on that level. So I'm also very pleased with how this connection between the player and the medical department works."

Did you enjoy Fatboy Slim's DJ set at the awards on Tuesday night?

"Unfortunately, I left quite early because, like we all know, we have a big game to play. But Fatboy Slim is one of the best DJs in the world. I really enjoy speaking to him, communicating, seeing him performing on the stage, and he's just also a very humble personality. I experienced it for a short period, but then unfortunately had to leave early and hopefully we can celebrate after Sunday's game together."

There could have been a lot of players of the season. Ferdi Kadioglu got it though. How pleased were you for him?

"Very pleased for Ferdi because I think he deserved it. He went through a big low the season before where he had this big injury where he was out for several months. But I think it describes his character the best, that he comes back stronger, that he plays an unbelievable season, that he is a team player, that he always tries to be there for his teammates. Regarding his work ethic, regarding his improvement, he is always on the highest level. And therefore I think he definitely deserved it and I'm happy for him."

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Players were busy on the training ground on Wednesday morning, as preparations continued in the week ahead of the final Premier League match of the season against Manchester United at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Is the biggest thing about it that he had that setback last season and that he's had to work so hard to come through that?

"I think it definitely helped him and therefore I always say when you have a big injury, although you don't see the positives, there might be a positive because you might change your approach regarding your training preparation. You might change your mindset. You might develop your resilience regarding injuries or resilience regarding setbacks and these kinds of things. If you use this time where you're injured in a positive way then you can come back strong as a player and as a person and I think it's the best example with Ferdi Kadioglu. He was available for every game this season. He was there for us as a team and I'm really happy and proud of him."

Diego Gomez was recognised as the Young Player of the Season. Just talk to me a little bit about his season and how he's kicked on.

"Diego is a player that has something special. He's very physical. He's very good at attacking the opponent's box. He's a very good finisher, so therefore I think he gives us something special. On top of that, he adapted quite quickly to the Premier League demands. That's impressive. That speaks also for his quality if you are capable of adapting to the different demands of the league.

“And on top of that, he's a guy who wants to adapt to English culture. He's learning English quite fast. He made a short speech on the stage at the Players Awards in English. And that's just outstanding, and it shows that he's not only a character on the pitch who wants to learn fast and a lot, he's also a character beside the pitch who wants to adapt and learn quickly."

Seeing Aston Villa win the Europa League, does it make Europe feel even extra special if you get there?

"I think a few weeks ago, I was asked here at the press conference if the Premier League had been damaged because that week they lost so many games in the European competitions. But I think now it's proven again how strong the Premier League is. We have a finalist in the Conference League, a finalist Champions League, and a finalist in the Europa League.

“And that means that the Premier League and the teams are really strong, and they can compete with all the other leagues. They can not even compete, they can also win these kind of things like Aston Villa achieved yesterday. And therefore, it's always a motivation to get into these kinds of cup competitions because that's a chance to win something. And that's also our ambition.”

With so much doubt about next season, whether you'll be in Europe, how much is that affecting or influencing any preparations you put in place for the summer for recruitment?

"It doesn't affect us because no matter where we play, in which competition or if we do not reach Europe, we try to make the squad stronger. That's always the goal. We try to figure out what is best for the individual player. We try to figure out what's best for the club and therefore we try to plan it no matter in which cup we are, and that doesn't impact us.

“I think if players really see Brighton as a club where you get the chance to play, where you get the chance for improvement, for development, where you have the chance to compete regularly then if players really want it then they will join us no matter in which cup competition we are. And we want to have players who are really keen on joining this club no matter in which competition we play.

“Because in the end, of course reaching Europe would be a great achievement, would be something special for the club. But in the end we see the long-term picture, and the long-term picture is being consistent in these kinds of positions. So therefore you need players who are really keen on joining this project or being part of a club who want to be a long-term challenge in the establishment. And therefore we need the right characters, and the right characters will also join no matter in which competition we are."

Will players staying or going impact your squad size if you reach Europe?

"Yeah, so regarding this, of course, the squad size will change if you play in Europe. That's definitely the truth. But if you're convinced that a player should stay, that a player helps us, that a player will contribute to this club's success, then of course we try to keep him. Then of course we want to extend his contract.

“But therefore we have some players where we need to have more clarity after the last game. But the focus should really be now on this game against United. We want to avoid all distractions. We want to avoid all the noise because I think it's also our responsibility for our fans to avoid the noise, to avoid all these distractions what might keep the players away from performing on the highest level. So the main focus really the game now against United."

How do you assess your Diego Coppola’s season at Paris FC?

"I think he played a good season for Paris FC. He played a lot of minutes. That's exactly what we wanted. And now we all have to figure out what is his next step, what is best for him, what is best for his improvement, for his development, and also what is best for us as a club. And therefore we will get in communication with him, and then we will see what happens."