Rico Henry is closing in on a return to the pitch after the full-back has spent the last year on the Brentford sidelines with an injury.
Henry has been everpresent for the Bees since their promotion to the Premier League.
Since his move from Walsall in 2016, the full-back has made over 200 appearances for Brentford, 76 of which have come in the top flight.
However, his career on the pitch came to a sudden halt last season after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Newcastle in a 1-0 defeat.
The 27-year-old has been on the sidelines ever since. However, Thomas Frank was able to provide an update on his progress ahead of their clash against Man City.
Rico Henry ‘close’ to Brentford comeback, but will not be available for Man City tie
Henry has been closing in on a return for some weeks now. The defender returned to full-time training in August and there were hopes that he would be back after the international break.
However, Frank has confirmed that Henry has suffered a ‘minor’ setback which prevented him from playing against QPR in a friendly match last week.
Frank stated: “Rico Henry will not be available, unfortunately. He’s still on track but got a minor, minor, minor muscle injury, that’s why he didn’t play in the behind-closed-doors friendly last week, but we expect him to be on the pitch tomorrow.
“Yes, it’s a setback but it’s not really a setback because it’s nothing to with his knee.”
Brentford must take their time with Rico Henry’s comeback
After being out on the sidelines for such a long time, Brentford must not rush Henry’s comeback.
It is better to wait as long as possible to be sure rather than put him out on the pitch quickly only for him to suffer another setback.
Frank seems to understand this and that is why he is set to be missing from the squad against Man City.
A friendly or a B team match could well be perfect for Henry as the intensity will be reduced while also allowing him to regain match sharpness.
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