What next for Julio Enciso: Has a new ‘mindset’ convinced Fabian Hurzeler to keep him at Brighton?

Julio Enciso’s career at Brighton & Hove Albion has reached a critical moment. Although only involved for half of the match, Enciso had the most shots on target of any Brighton player, and the joint-most for both sides, shared with Palace’s Ismaila Sarr, who scored twice. Hurzeler, asked by The Athletic to discuss Enciso’s tendency to go it alone with the ball sometimes and how transparently his body language reflects his mood, said: “On the one side, I think it’s important we understand the character of the players. That’s a great signal and a great thing that he wants to improve, no matter in which team.” After Enciso, an unused substitute against Southampton, was left out of the squad against Fulham, he put a message on his Instagram account alongside a selfie taken in the gym at the club’s training centre in Lancing: “Let no one extinguish your desire to achieve your dreams.” Although Hurzeler played down Enciso’s social media message when asked about it by The Athletic at his post-match press conference at Fulham, Enciso was left out again at Leicester before his eye-catching contribution in the second half against Palace. Enciso’s national team manager Gustavo Alfaro, speaking to ABC TV in Paraguay on December 10, prior to Enciso’s appearance against Palace, said: “I was talking to Julio about everything that happened.