Frank open to Toney-Forss strike partnership

Thomas Frank says he is open to adapting his team to accommodate both Marcus Forss and Ivan Toney if the situation demands.

Brentford have two in-form goalscorers in Forss and Toney, but Frank’s favoured footballing philosophy tends to leave room for just the one out-and-out striker.

Forss has found the net four times for his club this season in eight league appearances, all made from the bench, and has two from three starts in the EFL Cup.

The 21-year-old continued his rich vein of form by scoring against world champions France on his senior international debut for Finland earlier this month.

“I am very pleased with his performances in the Carabao Cup and the Championship and I think he is really growing and developing as a player,” Frank said.

“He is a player that will help us massively and is going to be an important player for us.”

But summer signing Toney’s own form has made him indispensable in the starting XI, chalking up 10 goals in his last nine appearances to top the Championship scoring charts.

It remains unlikely that both will start Saturday’s clash with Wycombe, yet Frank suggested there could a come a time when he finds room for them both.

“I am just very privileged to have two of the best strikers in this division,” he said.

“I am always clear the style of play we want to play and I want to play.

“I like to dominate on the ball and we like to press forward and be aggressive in the pressure, but it doesn’t have to be in the 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 which are the main two systems I play.

“I am open to what will make our team compete the best. If that changes slightly in some of the positions so I will be open for that, but it is definitely a go-to thing we can have as we have already seen a couple of times this season.”

It seems a delicious dilemma for any manager, but does throw up the potential for problems in keeping both hotshots happy.

Yet Frank insists the Finnish international’s growing maturity has helped avoid any issues in the changing room.

“For me attitude is everything, that is where you are confident but humble,” Frank added.

“It is the way you carry yourself in a specific way where I trust myself, I believe in myself, but I am humble for the task and have respect for my team and team-mates.

“It is not saying that he shouldn’t push and shouldn’t aim to start and play 90 minutes, but if you understand your role alongside that it helps and gives the most healthy development.

“He 100 per cent understands that and is working unbelievably hard.

“Two years ago he would have been much more frustrated; now he understands it and he knows that when he gets the chance he will be ready for it.”