Potter eager to protect Connolly

Brighton coach Graham Potter says he will do all he can to protect striker Aaron Connolly after a whirlwind few weeks. The 19-year-old has been thrown into the spotlight this season by Potter, making five appearances in the Premier League.
He rewarded his manager’s faith by scoring a brace in the club’s last league success, a 3-0 win over Tottenham before the international break.
Connolly’s goals helped Brighton climb to 13th in the Premier League table and his performance did not go unnoticed. He was promoted from the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad to the full squad, making his debut against Georgia.
He was then rewarded with his first start as he played 69 minutes of the 2-0 defeat to Switzerland and Potter admits he and his coaching team need to manage him properly. “He’s had quite a couple of weeks, hasn’t he? He’s 19 years old, we have to look after him, make sure that he has a long, successful career,” Potter told reporters. “And then just for him to get that international debut, it’s fantastic for him – disappointed obviously for him and the Irish boys that the result wasn’t what they wanted. “But that’s part of life as well, he has to deal with that, and it’s now a case of recovering him and seeing how he is for the weekend.”
Brighton are back in action when they travel to Aston Villa on Saturday. Potter will be hoping his team can improve their away record, with the Seagulls without a win in their last three matches on the road.
Connolly started up front alongside Neal Maupay against Spurs but Glenn Murray will be doing all he can to force his way back into Potter’s plans ahead of a big few weeks for the club.