By Will Castle
Thomas Frank revealed Brentford have received a massive boost in the form of Mathias Jensen's return to the matchday squad against Ipswich Town this weekend.
Jensen, who has grown pivotal in the Bees midfield in recent seasons, has been sidelined with a calf injury and last appeared in Brentford’s 3-1 win over Southampton on August 31.
Buoyed by the comeback of the Danish international, Frank also provided a positive update on Rico Henry, Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes - revealing that despite missing out on the visit of Ipswich, the trio are progressing well.
“He will be involved in the squad, which is very positive,” Frank said on Jensen’s return. “He has trained all week and looks good.
“Rico is getting closer, but not close enough [for Ipswich]. I don’t know if cautious is the right word, but we want to get it right. When a player has been out for a long time, you want to be sure when you put him on the pitch that he is ready.
“I’d love to say something now, but it’s better for me to come to a future press conference and say: ‘Tomorrow, Rico is available.'
“Both of them [Thiago and Nunes] are running around on the pitch, but not with the team. That’s positive.”
Brentford have enjoyed a patchy start to the season but are showing signs of promise, in particular going forward, developing a knack for scoring first.
They face the test of the Tractor Boys, back in the top flight after a 22-year hiatus, who are winless in their opening eight games.
However, Frank is under no illusions of the threat that Ipswich can pose, hailing Kieran McKenna’s efforts at Portman Road.
“I know it’s going to be a very tough game tomorrow,” added Frank. “We need to hit a high level and if we hit a high level then I’m convinced we can get the three points in front of our fans.
“Kieran McKenna and his staff have done a fantastic job to get back-to-back promotions. In every game they are competing. Maybe they just lack those final bits in games or the margins to get over the line.
“They are running hard, they are working hard and they are well-structured; it’s a good team. They have a fine structure in everything they do; offensively and defensively.
“Some of the games that impressed me the most are the away game at Brighton – the 0-0 draw - and the home games against Fulham and Aston Villa. They were very impressive.
“We have huge respect for Ipswich but it doesn’t matter if it’s Ipswich or Man United, it’s always about us."
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