Joao Pedro only returned from injury last week (Picture: Getty)

Joao Pedro has been ruled out of Brighton’s weekend trip to Chelsea, manager Fabian Hurzeler confirmed.

The Brighton striker scored two goals in his first three Premier League games but has struggled for fitness since returning from the international break in September.

Pedro made his long-awaited return as a second-half substitute against Nottingham Forest last weekend but suffered a fresh injury scare after a heavy challenge from Morgan Gibbs-White.

The Brazilian was seen on crutches after the game and has not been pictured in training this week.

Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to face Chelsea on Saturday, Hurzeler confirmed that Pedro would not be fit for the clash and was unable to provide a timeline on his potential return.
‘It was a hard tackle and Joao Pedro had some problems after the game,’ the German said. ‘He still has some problems. We have to go week to week with him, but I don?t think he will be an option for the weekend. I am not sure how long he will be out.

‘It?s a little bit of an issue with his ankle. When you see this tackle, his ankle was fixed and it twisted a little bit. That is the thing that caused the issue and the most pain, the twisting of the ankle.

Pedro picked up a fresh knock against Nottingham Forest (Picture: Getty)

‘Joao Pedro is a fast healer. We had a small issue with him in pre-season and we expected him to be out...