Brentford’s club-record signing Igor Thiago suffers a knee injury in pre-season, casting doubt as to whether the Bees will allow Ivan Toney to depart.
Brentford have confirmed that club-record signing Igor Thiago has sustained a knee injury, which could affect Ivan Toney‘s hopes of a summer exit.
Thiago officially became a Brentford player earlier this month after Brentford had reached an agreement with Club Brugge in February.
The Bees have paid a reported £30m fee to prise Thiago away from the Belgian side, where he scored 29 goals in 55 competitive appearances.
The 23-year-old made a goalscoring start to his Brentford career, netting a brace in Saturday’s 5-2 win over AFC Wimbledon in a pre-season friendly.
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Brentford confirm Thiago injury blow
However, Brentford released a statement prior to Thursday’s friendly against Benfica to reveal Thiago sustained a meniscus injury in the win against Wimbledon.
The Brazilian confirmed that Thiago will undergo further scans next weeks to establish the full extent of the injury.
The scan will determine whether the summer signing will need surgery and provide a clear picture of his recovery period.
In Thiago’s absence, Brentford went on to play out a 1-1 draw against Benfica, as Bryan Mbeumo saw his opener cancelled out by Vangelis Pavlidis.
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How could Thiago’s injury affect Toney?
Thiago has seemingly been signed as a replacement for Toney, who continues to be linked with a move away from the Gtech Stadium.
The current transfer window represents Brentford’s final chance to command a respectable fee for the 28-year-old, with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Toney has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, but it appears that Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are leading the race for his signature.
However, the Bees may be reluctant to part ways with the England international if Thiago is ruled out for an extended period.
If Brentford were left without Toney and Thiago, Thomas Frank would have to employ one of Yoanne Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo or Kevin Schade as the main centre-forward.