Brentford upbeat on injuries

Brentford say Alan Judge is progressing well following six weeks of recuperation after surgery on the broken leg he sustained at Ipswich.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder, who will miss Euro 2016, is now able to spend short periods of time off his crutches, Bees medical chief Neil Greig said.

Judge will see a consultant again in a further six weeks for more scans and discussions over the next stage of his recovery.

Greig told Brentford’s official website: “Alan’s return will be managed according to him achieving the required physical markers, rather than arbitrary timescales, which will lead to a more complete return to play.”

Greig also revealed Josh McEachran is out of the protective boot worn for six weeks after he suffered a broken foot in March and is also working on his strength and athleticism.

The ex-Chelsea midfielder will see a specialist again in four weeks to map out his return to training.

Fellow midfielder Lewis Macleod has come through a period of conditioning training as he bids to shake off recurrent knee problems which have dogged him since he joined in January 2015.

Andreas Bjelland, meanwhile, whose season was ended in August after sustaining significant knee ligament damage, returned to training for the final two weeks of the season and will undertake further rehabilitation in Denmark.

Both Macleod and Bjelland are expected to play a full part in pre-season.