Roberto De Zerbi says people cannot imagine how much he misses his injured stars.

And that was what he meant with what sounded like a cryptic post-match comment at Wolves.

If you want to get the full picture, imagine the Albion head coach soaking up the sun on his holidays last summer.

Then picture him walking around a wet and windswept training pitch in Lancing any time in the past few months – and certainly this week.

De Zerbi at least revealed some positive news yesterday with Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey and Evan Ferguson all fit to face Fulham.

None of them featured in the midweek FA Cup defeat by Wolverhampton.

Danny Welbeck will, at best come off the bench, as he did at Molineux.

The injury list is, however, still troubling and includes real game-changers in Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma.

Solly March also deserves that ‘game-changer’ tag and is still on the scene, doing his rehab and watching home games from the West Stand.

De Zerbi spoke about injuries as he addressed reporters in the media room at Molineux late on Wednesday.

And then he said: “You can’t imagine how many problems we have now.”

Which begged the question (though it was not asked there and then), what were those problems?

He was asked at his pre-Fulham press conference yesterday amid various questions about who was out, who was back and who could up their game.

De Zerbi replied: "If you play without nine injured players plus one suspended, it’s a problem?”

Yes, but we know that – so what are the problems we cannot imagine.

De Zerbi answered: “Yes, this problem.

“In my head Mitoma, March and Joao Pedro before the season started, they were in my first XI.

“When I was on holiday with the sun (he mimicked sun-bathing), I thought about my dream of my players - Mitoma, March and Joao Pedro.

“Now we are going to play the crucial part of the season without these three players.

“I am not playing so many times the final eight in the Europa League or another season in the Premier League with the possibility to reach another time with Brighton - not a big club, with Brighton – the European competition for another season.

“Or to have the possibility to play another FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

“But we are playing without a lot of players.

“Sometimes you can forget the injured players.

“Every day I stay in the training ground, every day I watch my players, my team without Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro or Julio Enciso for six months.

“I don’t have other problems.

“I am happy with my life, my work and I am - not relaxed - but I am happy.”

De Zerbi could have tactical options with two more full-backs at his disposal for Fulham in Lamptey and Veltman.

At one stage, he went with a back three because he did not have such players out wide.

The option has been there of late with Pervis Estupinan back from injury.

But he seems to prefer the three at the back now, plus two wing-backs.

Asked if that was here to stay, he played down such tactical details.

The Seagulls boss said: “I can keep the mentality, the style, but I can’t keep the same structure, the same tactical disposition.

“The tactical disposition, the structure on the pitch changes depending on the players you can play.

“Igor is different to Pervis Estupinan, Veltman is different to Tariq Lamptey, James Milner is different to Veltman and Igor.

“Depending on what I think we need, depending on the characteristic of the players in the first XI, I change structure, I change tactical disposition, but it is not a problem, the tactical disposition.

“The most important is the mentality, the style, the attitude to win the game, the courage during the game, the attitude to keep the ball every game, in every stadium in every competition.

“These facts are more important than playing with two centre-backs or three centre-backs. Nothing has changed.”