Brighton's Lewis Dunk to be sent to a knee specialist over ligament damage

Brighton will send captain Lewis Dunk to see a knee specialist this week amid fears he could be out for up to three months.

Centre back Dunk missed his first league game of the season against Southampton on Saturday after suffering knee ligament damage late on in last week's draw at West Ham.

And he is now facing an extended spell on the sidelines with the length to be determined by the outcome of further examinations in the coming days.

Brighton are hopeful key man Dunk will avoid the need for an operation which could see him return in around six weeks, missing the rest of 2021.

Though if surgery is required he may not play again until late February or early March.

Even the best case scenario for Dunk would still be a major blow for Brighton, especially with the injuries stacking up for manager Graham Potter.

In a damaging few days, Brighton also lost promising winger Jeremy Sarmiento (hamstring), defender Adam Webster (calf) and midfielder Adam Lallana (thigh) to injury at West Ham before Leandro Trossard suffered an arm injury at Southampton.

Steven Alzate (ankle) and Danny Welbeck (thigh) are longer-term absentees while defender Shane Duffy will miss Sunday's game against Tottenham through suspension.