“Rico will be involved in the game tomorrow” – Thomas Frank confirms Rico Henry return
Brentford boss Thomas Frank will be hoping his team can emulate their stunning 5-0 victory over Southampton when they take a break from league action to face Championship basement boys Plymouth Argyle at home in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Plymouth are fresh off sacking former manager Wayne Rooney, who was removed from his post on New Years Eve. In their two games since, they have earned draws against both Stoke and Bristol City.
Brentford have never been beyond the fifth round under Frank and haven’t made that stage since his first season. In the last two seasons they’ve been knocked out in the third round, a stat they’ll look to rectify against Plymouth.
Team News
The biggest news ahead of the game is that left-back Rico Henry has returned from a 16-month layoff following the serious knee injury he picked up in September 2023.
“Rico will be involved in the game tomorrow; not only will he be involved, he will start,” confirmed the Brentford boss. A first team regular and key man pre-injury, it will be a welcome return for the Bees, who have trialled a few options in his position since the unfortunate injury.
“Rico is the only player that was here when I came more than eight years ago, so it’s a good journey and story we have together,” Frank also mentioned. He’ll be hoping to add to that story against Plymouth as he continues his return to full fitness.
Winger Fabio Carvalho will also be involved after missing the last two matches with a minor groin injury. It’s unclear if he will start or occupy a place on the bench, however.
Central defender Ben Mee is nearing a return as well, but Saturday’s game comes too soon for the Englishman. Fellow defenders Kristoffer Ajer, Ethan Pinnock and Aaron Hickey remain out, as do forwards Igor Thiago and Gustavo Nunes.
Keane Lewis-Potter
More positive news for Brentford is that Keane Lewis-Potter, fresh off the back of a goal against Southampton, has signed a new deal with the club. His new contract runs until 2031, with the option of a one-year extension.
Lewis-Potter has been a constant figure at the Gtech this year, having featured in some capacity in every single game for Brentford this season across all competitions, registering two goals and two assists.
His perennial consistency in the line up has led to that new contract as much as his versatility has. Originally a left winger at Hull, he has played there at Brentford as well as at left-midfield and left-back during his time at the club.
His minutes have been split roughly equally between those three positions this season. With the in-form attacking talent that Brentford can boast at the moment, it is little wonder that he’s been filling in at left-back the last few games.
That’s not to say he isn’t an attacking outlet, his four G/A proves that. However, with Mbeumo, Wissa and Schade up top, combined with Frank’s desire to have him in the team, him playing at left-back in the absence of Henry and Hickey isn’t surprising.
When asked about this, Thomas Frank responded by saying that “he’s a good player for us as a winger, as a wing-back and as a full-back. Keane can only benefit from that, and I/we can only benefit from that.”
He also added “I wanna play with the best players in the team and … he’s been one of the best players,” before finishing by saying “I can see him playing more games as a left-back, as a right-back and as a winger.”
The Magic of the Cup
For decades, the FA Cup was the pinnacle of English football, with teams even prioritising it over league games. That isn’t so prevalent anymore as the financial incentives of winning, particularly the Premier League, have washed it away.
Despite that, the cup is still important to those teams outside the monopoly of teams capable of winning the league. Brentford are one of those teams and it isn’t lost on Thomas Frank how important a cup run could be to a club like theirs.
Their success in the Carabao Cup, reaching both the quarters and the semis in recent years, is one way that’s being channelled, but Frank knows just how important the FA Cup can be.
“We rate the FA Cup higher; everyone does that including myself, but we have taken both cup tournaments equally seriously” said Frank of the difference between the FA and League Cups.
The Brentford manager knows what an opportunity this could be to try and outdo their previous fifth round best and make a serious dent in this competition, perhaps even going further than they ever have before.
They have a sellout crowd for this game, and those fans will be hoping and maybe even expecting to reach the next round and perhaps even further depending on the luck of the draw.
Following Plymouth, Brentford are hit with two intensely difficult home games next. First they welcome Pep’s Manchester City on Tuesday before taking on Arne Slot’s runaway league leaders Liverpool on Saturday.
