Brentford boss Keith Andrews has provided the latest injury update ahead of the trip to Manchester United, with news on Vitaly Janelt and Rico Henry.
Keith Andrews has confirmed that Rico Henry, Vitaly Janelt and Jordan Henderson will all miss Brentford’s Premier League trip to Manchester United on Monday night.
The three players are making progress in their recoveries, but none will be available for the game at Old Trafford. Speaking in Brentford’s pre-match press conference, Andrews said the trio are now back working on the grass, although still away from the main group.
“They’re doing well,” Andrews said. “I’ve just walked past all three of them, they’ve been doing a session separate from the group.
“They’re back on the grass and making good progress. They’ve all got slightly different timeframes as to when they’ll be back, but they won’t be available for Monday.”
Henry has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the 0-0 draw with Bournemouth, while Janelt has been out with a metatarsal problem since the 2-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion. Henderson has also been unavailable since the end of March.
That means Brentford will go to Old Trafford without three senior players. Henry’s absence continues to affect the options on the left side of the squad, while Janelt’s unavailability leaves Brentford without another experienced midfield option. Henderson’s continued absence also removes a senior figure from the group at a key stage of the run-in.
There are further absentees beyond that trio. Josh Dasilva remains out with a knee injury, while Kaye Furo is still sidelined with a groin issue. Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo will also miss the rest of the season after suffering ACL injuries.
The update leaves Brentford with several players still unavailable, even if the latest on Henry, Janelt and Henderson offers some encouragement beyond the Manchester United fixture. Their return to grass work suggests progress is being made, but Andrews’ comments make clear that Monday will come too soon.
Brentford are entering a demanding final stretch of the season, with European places still in reach and fixtures against Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool still to come away from home. Their ability to get senior players back over the coming weeks could be important, but for Old Trafford, Andrews will again have to work without a number of established options.