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Kaoru Mitoma Injury Update
Kaoru Mitoma is finally on the verge of coming back for Brighton after a long ankle layoff, with multiple reports saying he is set to be involved against Liverpool. He has been out since late September after taking a heavy knock to his foot and ankle in a 3–1 win over Chelsea.
Andrew James (@AndrewJames1901) confirmed on X that Kaoru Mitoma will be in the squad to face Liverpool tomorrow.
Mitoma picked up what Brighton first called a “small” ankle/foot injury when he limped off in the 67th minute at Stamford Bridge on 28 September 2025. The problem kept dragging on, though, and he has now missed nine straight Premier League games, plus a chunk of Japan duty.
He got back into training in November, but suffered a minor setback in early December, which is why he was ruled out of the West Ham match and listed as “ruled out / not available” on some injury trackers. Brighton’s coach Fabian Hürzeler has called it a pain‑management issue rather than a major structural problem, which is why the updates kept saying he was “close” for weeks.
When is Mitoma Returning?
Right now the news is finally positive: several outlets in England are reporting that Mitoma is available to be in the squad for Brighton’s upcoming trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. The line is basically the same everywhere – he is available again and “set for a comeback”, but may not start straight away after such a long spell out. Brighton Buzz (@BrightonBuzzz) shared on X that Kaoru Mitoma is available to play against Liverpool, celebrating the return of the left-wing wizard.
Earlier in December, Brighton sources said the target was to see him back before Christmas, and that timeline now lines up with this Liverpool game and the festive fixtures that follow. So the short version: yes, Mitoma is expected to return in mid‑December 2025, and you should start planning for him to get minutes from the bench first, then work back to starting matches if there are no more setbacks.
Kaoru Mitoma 2025–26 Stats
Before the injury this season, Mitoma had played six Premier League games for Brighton in 2025–26, logging 510 league minutes. In that time he scored 1 goal and provided 1 assist in the league, with 6 total shots (3 on target) and a passing accuracy around 80 percent.
Across his senior career for club and country, Mitoma has played about 226 official matches, scoring 67 goals and making 42 assists, with the bulk of those games coming for Brighton in the Premier League and for Kawasaki Frontale in the J1 League. At Brighton specifically, he has passed 90 league appearances and has over 20 Premier League goals, including a record‑breaking 7‑goal haul for a Japanese player in a single Premier League season back in 2022–23.
Disclaimer
All information in this article about Kaoru Mitoma’s injury, return date, and stats is based on publicly available reports at the time of writing and may change. This content is for general information only and should not be treated as medical advice or an official club statement.
