Brighton boss Hughton considers Pascal Gross inclusion against Leicester

With Brighton looking to stop a run of successive defeats, Hughton accepts he now has plenty of options should he want to freshen up the team.

"Pascal is a very fit lad – he's clear of the injury now and he's fit to start," Hughton said at a press conference reported by the club.

"He's ready to start against Leicester and that's a decision I have to make."

Hughton feels the squad have what it takes to continue to hold their own in the top flight, having delivered three straight Premier League wins during October.

"We have players that arrived in the summer who are new and establishing themselves," he said.

"We've got a competitive squad now and everyone's coming along well."

One player, though, who appears less than impressed by a perceived lack of opportunities is striker Jurgen Locadia.

During the international break, the 25-year-old told Dutch media of his concerns, indicating he could look for a January move to get more game time.

Hughton, though, played down any talk of a rift.

"I've spoken to Jurgen and I speak to Jurgen regularly. There's no doubts that the comments he made or what he thinks was taken out of proportion," the Brighton manager said, in a video clip broadcast by Sky Sports.

"That doesn't escape the fact that he would like to play more. I would expect every player that is not playing so much to think the exact same way.

"So I have no problem with his views that way. He's a very good individual, trains really well.

"But the most important thing is he is very motivated to play here."

Hughton, who ruled himself out of contention for the Republic of Ireland vacancy, added: "Any talk of players who are not playing that they are desperate to play games and so on, I would expect every player to say that."

Brighton remain without record signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh as he recovers from a hamstring problem.

Midfielder Dale Stephens starts a three-match suspension following his red card at Cardiff before the international break.

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