Brighton boss De Zerbi drops Trossard for Liverpool game over 'attitude'

London, Jan 13, 2023 (AFP) - Leandro Trossard will miss Brighton's home Premier League match against Liverpool on Saturday after manager Roberto De Zerbi punished him for leaving training without permission.

The 28-year-old Belgian forward disappeared after being told he would not start last weekend's FA Cup third-round tie against Middlesbrough, which Brighton won 5-1.

"Leandro isn't in the list of players for tomorrow," the Italian coach said on Friday.

"The last training session before the Middlesbrough game when he understood he didn't play, he left the session without saying anything to me. And it's not good.

"The Monday after, I spoke with him and I explained this attitude, this behaviour, I don't like."

De Zerbi added: "He knows very well that if he wants to play with Brighton, with me, he has to work hard, he has to run, he has to be in the right way because we are not a big team such as Real Madrid or Barcelona.

"We are Brighton and we need players who work like the others who stay in Brighton.

"I don't know what is the problem. I want to be clear, I am open with him to take a step back and listen to him but he has to understand with me, I want only players who work hard and play for the team 100 percent."

Trossard, who scored a hat-trick at Anfield in a 3-3 draw in October, has been linked with a January transfer to top-flight rivals Tottenham.

"I don't know about the transfer market, if he wants to change teams or not," De Zerbi said.

"It's not my problem. I'm only a coach.... Leo is one of the best players in this squad. I understand something about football.

"But I know also to achieve the result we have to be a group and to think for the team before ourselves. This is (one of) the first rules in my head."