IT IS never nice to see a player’s career end before it’s time.
In the case of Enock Mwepu, who has been forced to retire at just 24 following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition, there is the saving grace that the problem was spotted before anything truly tragic happened.
For any player, health must come first and Brighton have worked quickly to find a diagnosis and will offer every support to the midfielder.
But there will always be a sense of what could have been.
There was a feeling that Mwepu, nicknamed ‘The Computer’ for his ability to read a game quicker than most opponents on the pitch, was finally getting into his stride as a Brighton player this season.
Injuries limited the Zambian, who joined from RB Salzburg in July last year, to just 14 starts from a potential 44 Premier League games across his Seagulls career.
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But things were changing at the start of this campaign.
With Yves Bissouma having joined Tottenham in the summer, Mwepu was given a more senior role in midfield and started to show just what he could bring.
An intelligent player with a love of making an impact going forward – just like childhood hero, Steven Gerrard – Mwepu final appearance for Brighton offered an example of what he was all about.
At home to Leicester City, in Graham Potter’s final game in charge, Mwepu intercepted from James Maddison just inside his own half and the computer started to whirr.
Quickly spinning into a pocket of space behind the Foxes midfielder, the former RB Salzburg man opened up his legs and charged forward, forcing Jonny Evans into reverse.
Having sucked the Leicester defenders towards him on the edge of the area, Mwepu shuffled the ball sideways to Moises Caicedo, now unmarked, to fire home.
New manager Roberto De Zerbi poured over the footage of the Mwepu and knew he had a talent on his hands.
The Italian said today: “I am so sorry for Enock.
“Before I arrived I looked at all the squad, and he was a player I was so excited and looking forward to working with.”
It was a sign that Mwepu was ready to be the main man in midfield – a chance which has been so cruelly taken away.
There are other magical memories too.
His stunning, dipping first time strike to spark a comeback at Liverpool and earn a 2-2 draw will never be forgotten on the south coast.
Seagulls fan Scott McCarthy from WeAreBrighton.com, said: “The outpouring of sadness following the announcement shows the esteem in which Mwepu was held.
“In little over a season, he had become a hugely popular player for both his on-the-pitch abilities and his personality off it.
“It is the potential Mwepu had which makes his career being cut short in such circumstances particularly cruel. Brighton fans only saw glimpses of what Mwepu could do.
“He had the world at his feet and was only going to get better once he had adapted to the unique demands of the Premier League.”
Mwepu intends to stay in football in some capacity. There may well be a role for him at The Amex going forward.
Whatever happens, in just over a year on the south coast Mwepu has certainly made his mark.
He leaves fans with a whole host of memories, but there will remain the loss of a Premier League dream which had only just got going.
