He can, but it wouldn't be Hughton's choice to play him there.
I don't doubt things can be covered, even if another genuine CM picks up an injury or suspension, but it means Hughton having to shuffle the deck in a way he would prefer not to have to do.
Do we?
Surely, the only cover we have is Sidwell, if Hughton sets up as we expect him to in a 4-4-1-1. The middle 2 of the midfield 4 would have been between Stephens, Propper, Kayal and Sidwell (possibly in that order), with Gross or Brown then linking to Murray or Hemed.
There are other...