Brighton's 'humble' Hurzeler makes instant impact as Premier League's youngest boss

Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler insisted he would stay "humble" after the Premier League's youngest manager marked his debut with a 3-0 victory at Everton on Saturday.

Aged 31 years and 173 days, Hurzeler is the youngest permanent boss in Premier League history, following his arrival from St Pauli to replace Roberto De Zerbi in the summer.

The German is the first manager to be born after the Premier League started in 1992, and is seven years younger than Brighton midfielder James Milner.

Despite his tender years in comparison to his Premier League peers, Hurzeler made a flying start as 10-man Everton was brushed aside at Goodison Park.

Goals from Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra fired Brighton ahead, while Everton was hampered by Ashley Young's red card.

"I'm very happy, it's a good start, but nothing more. It's important to stay humble after this," Hurzeler said.

"It's a very good feeling, but I don't want to talk about myself, the players deserved this. They worked hard in pre-season and I'm very proud of them."

Hurzeler became the youngest head coach in the German second tier when, aged 29, he was hired by St Pauli in December 2022.

He hauled the club away from the relegation zone and led it to promotion to the Bundesliga last season, catching the eye of Brighton owner Tony Bloom in the process.

Texas-born Hurzeler holds German, Swiss and American citizenship, but he already appears at home on England's south coast.

"It was a good result, very intense. In some moments we suffered, but after a time we tried to control the game, had good chances, then went 1-0 up," Hurzeler said.

"In the end, the clean sheet was important, and we showed attitude and character."

Hurzeler's biggest issue was handling the disappointment of new signing Yankuba Minteh, who was causing Everton problems, before a head injury forced him off in the first half against his wishes.

"He was disappointed, but in the end we are disappointed for the player and can't take any risks, the health of the player is more important, and we were responsible for that," the Seagulls boss said. "We have to keep looking at him and how he reacts. I am confident he will be back next week. He had a great impact, but I judge my offensive players on how they work off the ball."

AFP