Jan Paul van Hecke explains why Danny Welbeck's return is vital for Brighton after Crystal Palace goal

The striker suffered a muscular injury in late October but made his return to action last weekend in the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Despite having just 11 minutes on the pitch at the Emirates, head coach Roberto De Zerbi said the 33-year-old “changed the game” and he was preferred over Evan Ferguson off the bench in the 1-1 draw at Palace.

The former England international scored a stunning looping header in the 82nd minute and put in an all-round attacking display to rescue his team a point.

And defender Van Hecke is thrilled to have the experienced forward back in the mix, especially as the Sussex outfit have a hefty injury list.

"You can see in just 45 minutes he [Welbeck] is a really strong player and a really important player for us. He scored a great goal and when he is on the pitch always something happens, so it is good to have him back and hopefully he can help us,” said the Dutchman.

"We have a lot of strong players injured, so I am really happy Welbeck is back. You can see his influence on the game today (Thursday), a really strong half from him. Hopefully he can have more goals and assists."

Brighton are back in Premier League action on December 28 against Tottenham and then West Ham on January 2.