Brighton boss Chris Hughton has welcomed the appointment of technical director Dan Ashworth.

Ashworth will join Albion next spring after leaving the same role at the Football Association.

"I think he's been brought in at a time when the club have made big strides over the last few years; promotion to the Premier League, the academy doing well, the ladies' team now playing in the top division, a growing medical department," said Hughton.

"They are the quite obvious reasons why the club felt they needed to bring somebody in.

"Dan's somebody I've known for a long time and certainly you want somebody with the experience that Dan has.

"It's great news for us because once you make that decision that you want to bring somebody in in that role, it's about who you can bring in.

"As regards the candidates, they probably at this moment don't come any higher than Dan and he has a very, very good CV.

"I think it's a great acquisition for the club, we are certainly delighted and look forward to him starting."