Brighton fullback Joel Veltman admits that not having Enock Mwepu on the pitch or among the players will be a significant loss.

The 24-year-old announced his retirement from the sport due to a hereditary heart condition.

Veltman felt for Enock, having to give up his dream at such a young age, and admitted that it would take a long time for everyone to get used to him not being around.

“He's a lovely guy and an amazing professional, he will be a big loss for us," said Veltman to the club's website.

“To not have him around the club and on the pitch is devastating. We had a meeting with [technical director] David Weir, who said that Enock had taken the news well.

"He's just had a baby daughter which is a distraction for him and his family of course, and I know how important his faith is to him but it's not something you want at the age of 24.

“We had seen on social media that he'd been in hospital and he hadn't been at the training ground, but it was a shock when we were told his career was over. Everyone was really upset."

“We will be supporting him 100%," added Veltman.

“We've all been messaging him and I'm sure we will see him at the training ground again soon which will be fantastic of course, but we don't want to put any pressure on him.

“We need to let him take his time and adjust but when he needs us we will be there for him."