Keith Andrews says Aaron Hickey is unlikely to face Everton and Vitaly Janelt remains “a good few weeks away”, while Brentford’s head coach also described Saturday’s game as “really big”.
Keith Andrews has delivered a mixed injury update before Brentford’s Premier League meeting with Everton, confirming Aaron Hickey is closing in on a return but is unlikely to be ready for Saturday, while Vitaly Janelt remains some way off. The Brentford head coach also underlined the significance of the match, with Everton arriving in West London level on points with the Bees.
Hickey and Janelt have both been out since Brentford’s 2-0 defeat to Brighton on February 21, but Andrews made clear the two midfield and defensive situations are moving at very different speeds. “Aaron is closer than Vitaly, for sure,” he said. “Aaron’s probably not going to make Saturday, but he’s not too far away. He’s been training with the group this week.” That is an encouraging line for Brentford given how long Hickey has been working his way back and how useful his return could be in the final stretch of the season.
The update on Janelt was less positive. “Vitaly will probably be a bit further away,” Andrews said. “It’s a different type of injury and a different length. I don’t know exactly how many weeks, but it’ll be a good few weeks away, I imagine.” In practical terms, that means Brentford will continue to plan without one of their more reliable midfield options for a while yet.
Elsewhere, Andrews suggested the broader squad has come through the international break in reasonable condition, even if the emotional impact of that period has varied from player to player. “They’ve all pretty much come back in a good place, on an injury front,” he said. “There’s that obvious disappointment for some... but they come back with contrasting emotions.” He pointed to Igor Thiago’s first senior Brazil appearance as one of the positives, adding: “We had some who had the elation of representing their countries for the first time, like Igor Thiago, which we’re all very proud about.”
Brentford are still managing longer-term absences elsewhere. Rico Henry remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, Josh Dasilva is out with a knee ligament injury, and Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo will miss the rest of the season with ACL injuries. Even so, Andrews’ latest comments suggest the immediate picture is more stable than it might have been heading into a critical weekend.
Andrews also made no attempt to downplay the importance of facing Everton. “We’ve had to wait a while since the last one, which has given us time to look at this game,” he said. “We take it game by game, but this is a really big game and a really important game.” He added: “We’ve set the bar high this season, and we want to continue to do that.” For Brentford, that bar now extends into the European conversation. Saturday’s game will say plenty about whether they can stay there.