Promise David cannot get into Brighton’s matchday squad. Canada keep picking him anyway, and this week that faith could turn into the biggest minutes of his season.
The striker has been left out of Fabian Hurzeler’s squad for two straight matches, at Getafe in the Conference League on Thursday and at home to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday, without any explanation from his club manager.
Frozen Out at Brighton
David has played 81 minutes in all competitions since joining Brighton on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise in August. His Premier League involvement amounts to two substitute appearances, and both of his European outings have been brief Conference League cameos off the bench.
The omissions are not injury related. Hurzeler’s list of unavailable players before the Getafe trip did not include David, and the form of 19-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas, who started against Brentford, has kept the Canadian out of the side.
It is a sharp contrast with Belgium, where David scored 41 goals in 82 appearances for Union Saint-Gilloise and helped the club win the Belgian title. Hurzeler has preached patience, saying David will get his opportunity in due course and that “it’s so important we give the players time” to adapt to the Premier League.
Why Canada Keep Backing Him
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch named David in his squad for the Nations League quarterfinal against Guatemala and then explained exactly how closely the two setups are working on the striker’s development.
“So the good news is that Fabian Hurzeler and I are friends,” Marsch told reporters including Canadian Soccer Daily. “We had a good discussion about three weeks ago about Promise. The good news is that we’re both very much aligned with what we think is important for Promise and how we think he needs to play in order to keep improving.”
Marsch has also assigned his assistant coach, Mauro Biello, to speak every week with a member of Brighton’s staff appointed by Hurzeler, so the club and country share feedback on David’s progress.
The backing is not new. In September, Marsch warned publicly that David’s lack of club minutes was “not good” and said he might have to consider alternatives if it continued. Two months on, with the minutes no better, Marsch still picked him, and still used him off the bench in September’s win over Chile.
The Opportunity in Front of Him
Canada’s forward line has thinned at exactly the right moment for David. Cyle Larin, Jonathan David’s usual strike partner, is out injured. Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan Osorio then withdrew injured on Monday, with Canada Soccer confirming Charles-Andreas Brym among the replacements.
Jonathan David remains the certain starter, and Villarreal’s Tani Oluwaseyi is the leading candidate to partner him. Behind them, Promise David is in a genuine contest with Jacen Russell-Rowe, Daniel Jebbison and Brym for the remaining forward minutes across two legs.
The first leg is in Guatemala City on Friday, November 13, with the second at Toronto’s BMO Field on Monday, November 16. Competitive quarterfinal minutes are on offer for a striker his club side will not use.
What he does with them matters on both sides of the Atlantic. Marsch is watching a striker he has championed, and through Biello’s weekly calls, Brighton’s staff will hear about every minute of it.
