Albion Analytics: Jack Hinshelwood's terrific numbers

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20-year-old signed new three-year deal on Friday.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2026-03-08T08:00+00:00

Jack Hinshelwood has made 70 first team appearances for Albion. 📸 by BHAFC.

Albion midfielder and academy graduate Jack Hinshelwood put pen to paper on a new contract on Friday which extends his time at the club until June 2029.

The 20-year-old has featured 70 times total for Brighton since his debut on the final day of the 2022-23 season away to Aston Villa. Then, aged 18 years, one month and 47 days, he became just the fourth player to debut for the club in the Premier League before turning 19.

“He was already fully integrated into the first team when I arrived,” said Fabian Hurzeler of Hinshelwood in summer 2024. Since then, Hinshelwood has appeared 52 times for Hurzeler across all competitions.

Among all Premier League players aged 21, from the start of last season, Hinshelwood ranks third for minutes played (2,854), sixth for passes completed (1,173) and seventh for ball recoveries (107), a testament to his technical quality and energetic nature.

Jack Hinshelwood has made 52 appearances under Fabian Hurzeler. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi (8 goals) is the only youngster to outscore Hinshelwood in the Premier League since August 2024. His six strikes include a range of headers, box-crashing tap-ins, and finishes from range. In total, Hinshelwood’s nine senior goals and six assists represent a very healthy return for a young player.

Those qualities are surely a reason why Hurzeler has used Hinshelwood as a No 10 at times this season, adding another position and role to his tactical backpack. Hinshelwood, nominally a central midfielder in his academy days, broke through at full-back in 2023-24, including playing there in the Europa League.

He’s appeared nearly as many times at full-back (23) as in midfield (33) and even moonlighted as a No 9 on the final day of 2024-25, scoring twice — one-touch finishes from corners — as Brighton staged a 4-1 comeback win away to Tottenham Hotspur, which sealed them an eighth place finish on 61 points.

The only thing which has held back his progress are injuries. For a midfielder who covers so much distance — in the top three Brighton players for that, alongside Pascal Gross and Yasin Ayari — he may inevitably be at higher risk. However Hinshelwood has bounced back quickly from a broken foot in February 2024 and a ligament injury in September 2025.

Jack Hinshelwood scored his first Albion goal against Brentford in 2023. 📸 by James Boardman.

He played a key role in the England U21 team that won the European Championships last summer. An 11-cap man at that level, and he does not turn 21 until next month, Hinshelwood started the final group stage match and then remained in the team for the rest of the competition.

He primarily played left-back, putting in a battling performance against Germany in the final, recording five clearances, two interceptions and three recoveries while completing 53 of his 59 passes.

His defensive skills, especially in one-v-one duelling situations, are being honed. Hinshelwood’s tackle success rate has risen across three Premier League seasons, from 22% in 2023-24 to 47% this year — which is 7% above the midfielder average in England’s top flight.

An underrated part of his game is how, when he does foul, Hinshelwood has learned to make these as soft as possible. Having been booked five times from 18 fouls last season, this term he made 25 fouls without receiving any yellow cards. For an all-action central midfielder, this is a priceless skill — the only Premier League players to make more fouls and not be booked this season are Hugo Ekitike (35), Igor Jesus (32) and Ryan Sessegnon (30).

“We know what Jack is capable of. He can run a lot and has a good understanding of spaces and when to make a good run," Hurzeler told BBC Sport at the start of the month. And he has the perfect mentor to learn from in midfield partner James Milner, who recently broke the Premier League appearance record — his debut in 2002 came three years before Hinshelwood was even born.