Albion boss Chris Hughton has not given up on Jurgen Locadia.

The £14 million Dutch striker has only made four Premier League starts since he was signed from PSV Eindhoven and introduced to the Amex crowd before the 4-0 defeat by Chelsea in January.

The teams meet again at the Amex on Sunday (1.30) with Locadia likely to be on the bench once more after coming on and heading over a chance to equalise at Burnley last Saturday.

Hughton told The Argus: “What you are always going to get with players is some are playing, some are not.

“The ones who are not are always going to be disappointed.

“You want them to train in a way that is going to keep their levels up and give them the best opportunity when they can.

“Jurgen has always done that and it has been a disappointment for him.

“Since signing in January he wouldn’t have played the games he’d have liked but that’s part and parcel of the game.

“But he’s trained really well. Certainly as an individual he’s given me no problems and the moment you start thinking things are not going to happen they can happen.

“That’s why you train like you do. But he’s been good.”

Albion are 11 points clear of the relegation zone in 13th and seven ahead of Cardiff, the team immediately below them.

Hughton said: “For us in our second season in this division it’s about improving as a team and improving as a club.

“Still at this moment what would be the most important thing for us is the gaps below us.

“We will strive to do as well as we can this season but we are still very conscious that we are a developing club.

“The bigger that gap is between us and the bottom three, that will be the most important thing.”