Keith Andrews says Reiss Nelson will return to Brentford training before Wolves, but Rico Henry faces “numerous weeks” out and several other absentees remain sidelined.
Keith Andrews has offered a fresh Brentford injury update ahead of Monday night’s Premier League meeting with Wolves, with the clearest positives and negatives both easy to identify. Reiss Nelson is back with the training group, which gives Brentford a potential boost in the wide areas, but Rico Henry is facing a longer spell out after what Andrews described as a “decent hamstring injury”. The Brentford head coach also confirmed there is no immediate change elsewhere, with several senior absentees still not expected back until after the international break.
Nelson edges closer to a return
The most encouraging line from Andrews concerned Nelson. Speaking ahead of the Wolves game, he said: “Reiss Nelson is going to be part of the [training] group tomorrow. It’ll be similar to last week: we’ll see how it goes and then make a decision on his involvement.” That leaves the door open for the attacker to be involved on Monday, even if Brentford are still treating his comeback carefully.
That is a useful lift for Andrews as Brentford try to respond to their FA Cup exit at West Ham. The head coach said the squad were “dusting themselves down” after the disappointment of going out on penalties, adding that it had been “a huge physical exertion” for the players who had gone through 120 minutes as well as the emotional toll of the manner of the defeat.
Henry facing longer lay-off
The less encouraging news is around Henry. Andrews had already ruled the left-back out last week, but his latest update made clear the issue is not a short-term one. “He will be out for numerous weeks, for sure,” Andrews said. “It’s a decent hamstring injury, so we just have to make sure we get that right for him, more so than us. We want him to get back to a good place.” He added that the exact timescale is still uncertain.
For Brentford, that remains a significant setback. Henry had only recently returned to regular action, and his absence removes one of the more natural left-sided options in the squad just as the season moves into its final stretch.
No change for the wider injury list
Elsewhere, Andrews said “the others are the same as we discussed last week”, adding that they “won’t be in contention for a few weeks, until the other side of the international break”. Aaron Hickey remains out with a hamstring problem, while Vitaly Janelt is sidelined with a metatarsal injury and Josh Dasilva continues his recovery from a knee ligament issue. Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are both out for the rest of the season with ACL injuries.
Brentford now turn back to league action against a Wolves side Andrews believes are showing the qualities associated with Rob Edwards’ teams. For Brentford, though, the immediate focus is on recovery, squad management and whether Nelson can take another step towards a return.