Brighton & Hove Albion star Julio Enciso has claimed he 'almost died' after passing out during a flight while on international duty.

Enciso was named in the Paraguay squad for the South American side's upcoming internationals with Ecuador and Venezuela.

But on the plane ride over to South America, Enciso began to feel unwell, with the journey turning into somewhat of a nightmare.

The 20-year-old claims he 'almost died' during the flight after fainting and required assistance in the way of a can of Coke and some Japanese soup.

Commenting on the incident to Del Paraguay, Enciso said: “My head hurts. I almost died, I fainted on the plane.

“I was powerless, I didn’t eat or sleep well. At one point I got up to go to the bathroom and I felt like I was falling.

“A guy grabbed me and took me to the front; He made me drink coke and a Japanese soup and that did me good.”

Enciso was a second-half substitute for Brighton during their weekend win over Spurs.

But the Paraguayan has endured a stop-start campaign so far, having spent the majority of last season out injured.

The forward is yet to start a Premier League fixture under new boss Fabian Hurzeler, but has featured off the bench in five of the Seagulls' seven outings.

Hurzeler recently laid down a marker to Enciso, claiming he needs to better understand his principles before earning a prolonged run in the side.

The Brighton boss said: “You have to give them [young players] also the freedom because, in the end, they can make the difference.

"On the other side, it is very important that everyone understands my principles, that everyone understands it will only be successful if you work together as a team.

“I think Julio is improving in these things. He is trying to develop in these things. We are working hard with him. We show it to him after every game, after every minute that he is playing, where he can improve."

He joined Brighton for £9.5million in 2022 and has since made 48 appearances for the Premier League outfit, scoring four goals and registering six assists.

Enciso won the 2022/23 Premier League Goal of the Season award for his stunning 25-yard strike against Manchester City.