ALI Al-Habsi will have to dash back from the Middle East to honour a pledge to Albion to be available for their next match.
The on-loan Wigan goalkeeper’s involvement in the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia clashes with the Seagulls’ trip to Norwich on November 22.
Al-Habsi assured Albion when he signed that he will be around for the visit to Carrow Road.
The Argus revealed on Saturday that Al-Habsi will be captaining Oman in three group games in the Gulf Cup between November 14 and 20. The semi-finals take place the day after the Norwich match on November 23, the third place play-off on the 25th and the final on the 26th, three days before Al-Habsi’s month expires with Albion’s home fixture against Fulham.
Boss Sami Hyypia revealed to The Argus: “When we took him he said he will be 100 per cent here for the Norwich game, so I presume he will be. That’s my information.”
Al-Habsi was missing from the squad for the second game running in Saturday”s 1-1 draw against Blackburn at the Amex. Ineligible for the previous match against parent club Wigan, Hyypia left him out and persevered with 18-year-old Christian Walton to to solve the problem of only being allowed to pick five of the six loan signings in the matchday squad.
Hyypia said: “Of course, there was a bit of a bad situation that we needed to leave one loan player out of the squad. I was thinking about it for a few days and Chris Walton played okay.
“The goal (by Rudy Gestede) was a good header and he tried to stretch all his body to knock it over the crossbar. I wouldn”t say that was a wrong decision but I had to make a decision and it”s not nice for Ali that it was him But I think he understands it was only because Aaron (Hughes) got injured and we had to take Greg Halford as cover for the centre-back position.”
Original article
The on-loan Wigan goalkeeper’s involvement in the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia clashes with the Seagulls’ trip to Norwich on November 22.
Al-Habsi assured Albion when he signed that he will be around for the visit to Carrow Road.
The Argus revealed on Saturday that Al-Habsi will be captaining Oman in three group games in the Gulf Cup between November 14 and 20. The semi-finals take place the day after the Norwich match on November 23, the third place play-off on the 25th and the final on the 26th, three days before Al-Habsi’s month expires with Albion’s home fixture against Fulham.
Boss Sami Hyypia revealed to The Argus: “When we took him he said he will be 100 per cent here for the Norwich game, so I presume he will be. That’s my information.”
Al-Habsi was missing from the squad for the second game running in Saturday”s 1-1 draw against Blackburn at the Amex. Ineligible for the previous match against parent club Wigan, Hyypia left him out and persevered with 18-year-old Christian Walton to to solve the problem of only being allowed to pick five of the six loan signings in the matchday squad.
Hyypia said: “Of course, there was a bit of a bad situation that we needed to leave one loan player out of the squad. I was thinking about it for a few days and Chris Walton played okay.
“The goal (by Rudy Gestede) was a good header and he tried to stretch all his body to knock it over the crossbar. I wouldn”t say that was a wrong decision but I had to make a decision and it”s not nice for Ali that it was him But I think he understands it was only because Aaron (Hughes) got injured and we had to take Greg Halford as cover for the centre-back position.”
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Original article