Brighton Midfielder Beram Kayal Credits Manchester United Forward After Inspiring Injury Recovery

Brighton midfielder Barem Kayal has credited Zlatan Ibrahimovic's determination to return from injury after the Israeli made a similar return following a horrific broken leg.

The Israel international suffered the broken leg in a pre-season friendly during the summer, and spoke of how he followed the Manchester United striker's journey to return to action. The Swede had suffered a career threatening knee injury at the backend of last season.

Kayal returned to first team action over the winter period, and as Brighton & Hove Independent reports Manchester United striker Ibrahimovic was a real motivation for Kayal's recovery. 

Kayal said: "I looked at what he did when he was injured and was not playing, the way he reacted and worked hard, the confidence he had to be back. It gave me a top model to look up to and learn from.” The 36-year-old Swede shared his progress as he worked hard to bounce back from the injury which looked set to end his excellent career.

Kayal added: “Everything he did in every day, people need to learn from his winning mentality. It gave me a top model to look up to and learn from.” Kayal is set to feature for Brighton tonight as they face rivals Crystal Palace at home in the third round of the FA Cup, a fixture dubbed "the M23 derby."

The Israeli will hope for a lengthy run back in the first team, as Ibrahimovic's knee issues has resurfaced and have left him out for another month or so.