Hickey close to Brentford return

Aaron Hickey is close to a long-awaited return to first-team action after a 20-month injury lay-off, Thomas Frank has confirmed.

The 22-year-old full-back has been out of action since August 2023 with a severe hamstring injury that required two operations.

Hickey has recently featured in B-team matches and is pushing for a return before the end of the season.

“He’s getting closer. It all looks good,” Bees boss Frank said on the eve of the home match against Brighton.

Summer signing Igor Thiago, who missed the early part of the campaign with a knee injury and has been sidelined since December because of a joint infection, is also nearing full fitness.

Meanwhile, Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen, and Gustavo Nunes all played for the B team this week.

“All the players who were available last week are available again,” said Frank.

“It’s encouraging to see players like Rico, Mathias and Gustavo getting some minutes under their belts.”

Brentford are still in with an outside chance of securing a European spot.

And Frank declared: “If we want to keep any hope of Europe alive, we simply have to win on Saturday.”