Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said he will support defender Eiran Cashin after a tough debut in the 3-0 loss against Aston Villa last Wednesday.
Cashin made his first appearance for the Seagulls following his £9m January switch from Derby County as he replaced Lewis Dunk on 72 minutes at the Amex Stadium.
The 23-year-old was among those who struggled in the second half against Villa’s pacey forwards as Villa substitute Marco Asensio netted the goal that killed the contest on the 78th minute.
Cashin saw Morgan Rogers race past him to set up Villa’s second goal of the night. The third goal, that arrived in the 100th minute from Donyell Malen, also came down his flank.
Hurzeler addressed Cashin’s debut while speaking at the press conference ahead of Brighton’s clash at old rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday.
“It’s not easy to come into the game as a sub,” Hurzeler said. “Especially as a centre-back in a very close game where small matters make the difference.
“So he had a great start, then of course he looked a bit unlucky in a personal duel, but overall he made a good impression and it’s about us helping him.
“It’s about us, also the players and the staff understand, we were also in a situation where we had the first impression, where we had the first start and the starts are not always easy.
“But one of the values of this club is to always support the players. And we will support Cashin, we will give him the environment where he can improve.
“We will give him the time where he can adapt, and we will give him also the support he needs. And that’s what we will do with all of our players, and that’s what we will do with Cashin as well.”
Cashin is expected to be back on the bench for the trip to Palace, with Dunk and Van Hecke set to take up the central defensive positions.
Speaking after his debut against Villa, Cashin said: “You just have to make sure you do everything right, so in that sense it was tough, but I wanted my Premier League debut so I had no qualms coming on.
“You make a small mistake and I got punished tonight but it’s a learning curve and I enjoyed it.”
‘Not easy’ – Fabian Hurzeler confirms ‘unlucky’ Brighton star can adapt after ‘punishing’ debut
