Could Ibrahim Osman Be Brighton's Next Breakout Star?

Ibrahim Osman has had a strong start to pre-season for the Seagulls. Having scored twice already during his time at the club this summer. 

He had a very encouraging competitive debut against IL Tromsø last night. 

Osman could have a bigger-than-expected job this season. While most would have assumed he would return to Birmingham City after a successful loan spell at the West Midlands club, Osman could have a part to play in a different form of blue and white. 

Kaoru Mitoma sustained a hamstring injury and had a rather rough summer with injury and unfortunate turns of events in Japan. He would have been dreaming of finally travelling to the World Cup with his country for the first time. However, it seems as though he will never truly be able to showcase his talents on the world's biggest stages. 

As they say, problems also bring opportunities, and that is one way to look at things for Osman now. Yankuba Minteh has also been ruled out for around eight weeks with a leg injury and underwent surgery yesterday. 

Minteh would have been the obvious makeshift replacement, but as we saw against Bologna in the Amex friendly, Maxim De Cuyper was the option utilised on the left wing. As most Albion fans know, De Cuyper is mostly a left-back and doesn't really possess the ability to take on his man or create chances like a traditional winger would do. 

As it happens, we could see a big opportunity for Osman to step up into the Seagulls' first team. 

A very direct winger, Osman likes to run at his opponents and create chances. He enjoys making things happen and trying to start something out of nothing. He was very encouraging at Birmingham, one to get fans on the edge of their seats and explode into the field and down the touchline. His shots are often with his right foot, but he can be very unpredictable. 

He may be on the raw side of his development at this stage, but he is certainly one to watch as a possible breakout star. 

We saw a similar story with both Yasin Ayari and Jan Paul Van Hecke, and Osman is following their path. Ayari didn't have the best loans at Blackburn and Coventry, while Van Hecke wasn't expected to get much game time at Brighton until Levi Colwill left the club. 

Both players are now associated with being one of the LCU's best in recent times. Opportunities can be taken if they're presented to the person who wants them most.