Brighton's Enciso out for up to three months with knee injury

Brighton's Julio Enciso is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury that requires surgery to fix. 

Enciso, who spent the second half of the 2024-25 season on loan with Ipswich Town, is expected to be out for around three months. 

The 21-year-old has been troubled with knee injuries since arriving at Brighton three years ago from Libertad. 

While on loan with Ipswich last season, he sustained a meniscus tear in his left knee against Aston Villa. 

But scans revealed the issue was not as serious as first feared, and he featured for the relegated Tractor Boys 10 more times at the end of the season. 

Enciso also suffered a more serious knee injury during his second campaign with Brighton, where he was ruled out for six months. 

That latest update is a blow to both the club and player, with Enciso reportedly seeking a move away from the Seagulls this summer. 

Since his arrival in England, Enciso has played 70 games across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists. 

Brighton continued their perfect start to their pre-season preparations for the 2025-26 campaign with a 3-1 win over Championship side Stoke City on Wednesday. 

Goals from Kaoru Mitoma, Diego Coppola and Georginio Rutter sealed the win, with head coach Fabian Hurzeler saying his team look stronger than they did when he took charge of his first pre-season last year. 

"A win is always important in a test game or not. It gives the players self-confidence. I think we saw positives, negatives and things to improve," Hurzeler said.

"We had some new players on the pitch who adapted and understood our ideas quite quickly. They have big potential, and they showed it here.

"[Compared to my first pre-season] we have better relationships, we have known each other a long time now.

"Overall, we are at a higher level, but there are always things to improve. The squad is quite big at the moment, but I think they understand their roles.

"We are one step further than we were, and now we have to make decisions about selling and loaning players.

"I really want to work with the players, no matter how many we have."

Brighton begin their Premier League campaign at home to Fulham on August 16.