Lewis-Potter and Pinnock not yet ready to return

Brentford will still be without Keane Lewis-Potter and Ethan Pinnock for the game at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Lewis-Potter has suffered a ligament injury in his foot and was forced to withdraw from the England Under-21 squad that faced Italy and Germany, having also missed the Bees’ 3-0 defeat by Arsenal.

Pinnock, meanwhile, has been absent for the entire season so far because of a knee injury but played 80 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly with Reading over the international break.


“He (Pinnock) is getting a lot closer,” Bees boss Thomas Frank said.

“He’s looking sharper and sharper. Let’s say we didn’t have any centre-backs, could he play? Yes.

“But we are privileged that we have other centre-backs that can help us.

“We know Ethan is an important player for us and he’s got a lot to add to the team when he’s fit and available.

“But he probably just needs that bit more consistency in training to get his sharpness back.”

Lewis-Potter has made five Premier League appearances since his summer move from Hull, with three of them coming as a substitute.

“Keane has a ligament injury. He won’t be available for the weekend but hopefully it’s nothing that will keep him out for too long,” Frank explained.

Midfielder Christian Norgaard remains sidelined with an Achilles problem.