Jahanbakhsh still important for Seagulls – Potter

Manager Graham Potter sympathises with forgotten man Alireza Jahanbakhsh and stressed that he is still an important member of the Brighton squad. Jahanbakhsh, 26, made 19 appearances and 12 starts for the Seagulls in the Premier League last season but hasn’t played in the league in 2019-2020, with just one Carabao Cup outing to his name.
The Iran international has been on the bench three times but is yet to get the call and it may well be a similar situation when the south-coast outfit travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Sunday.
Brighton have enjoyed a solid start to the campaign under Potter, with 15 points from 11 matches seeing then sit eighth in the table and they were worthy 2-0 winners against Norwich City last time out having beaten Everton 3-2 the previous week.
 
It has been tough for Jahanbakhsh to break into the side and the boss knows it is not an easy situation to deal with. “I can understand why a footballer always wants to play,” he told The Argus. “You have to understand that and there will be a time where, if that’s not the case, you have to make a decision with the player as well.”
The decision will be whether to send the former AZ midfielder out on loan in the January transfer window for some much need game time.
However, that would leave the Amex Stadium outfit light should they pick up a few injuries in the middle of the campaign and it is a conundrum facing many managers at that time of the year.
Many players do tend to push for a winter move if they have been inactive for the first four months but Potter has made it clear that is not the case with Jahanbakhsh. “He is fully committed to the club, fully committed to the team, fully committed to the lads,” he added. “He has been fantastic.”