Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma will miss the rest of the season with a back injury, manager Roberto De Zerbi said on February 27.

“It’s a bad situation. The hip injury that kept him out of the Everton game (at the weekend). It’s a big problem. It’s two or three months, so I think it’s season over,” De Zerbi said at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mitoma has played in 26 official matches, scoring three goals and providing six assists, but has been out of the team for an extended period this season due to an ankle injury and his participation in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Brighton are seventh in the league and are aiming to finish in the top six, as well as remain in the FA Cup and Europa League for 2023-24, so the injury comes at a crucial time for the team.