Brighton manager Graham Potter says that striker Glenn Murray will always be welcome at The AMEX Stadium, amid speculation surrounding the future of his loan deal at Watford.

Murray joined the Hornets on a season-long loan from Brighton back in the summer, but a lack of game time has led to some speculation that the 37-year-old could soon see that move cut short, and potentially link back up with Potter and co. at Brighton.

Now it seems as though Potter himself has refused to rule out the prospect of that happening over the course of the next few weeks.

Responding to a question about the prospect of a recall for Murray in the not too distant future, Potter was quoted by Sussex Live as saying: "Glenn is at Watford so I don't like to speak about players that aren't with us but my respect for Glenn is huge.

"He is a top guy, a fantastic servant for this club, it goes without saying that he is always welcome here, especially while I am here.

"He was good to me, he supported what we did and he has had a fantastic career for us but sometimes these things are about the player and the club and there are lots of factors."

Indeed, it does seem as though Potter has a fair amount of sympathy for Murray given the situation he finds himself in, with the Brighton boss going on to add: "I can imagine he is frustrated. It is part of the challenge of going out [on loan]. I cannot comment on that as I don't know. I wish him well."

As things stand, Murray is currently the second-highest goalscorer in Brighton's history, scoring 111 times in total for the Seagulls across two spells with the club.

The Verdict

This will likely be encouraging for Murray to hear.

He isn't getting the game he wants or needs at Watford right now, so you could understand it if he does want to cut his loan short, and the fact he knows there is a place for him at Brighton will be reassuring as he makes that decision.

However, with Watford having just sacked Vladimir Ivic, you wonder if Murray may now be tempted to stick around at Vicarage Road for the time being, and try to make an impact there under a new manager.