Nigeria’s Onyeka facing long injury lay-off with Brentford in Premier League – Frank

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has revealed Frank Onyeka is facing a long injury lay-off ahead of their trip to face Manchester United in a Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Monday.

The 24-year-old Nigeria international has not featured for the Bees since March 12 against Burnley, a match in which he played only one minute during a 2-0 win.

Onyeka has gone on to miss five straight matches – the 2-1 defeat against Leicester City, 4-1 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, 2-0 win against West Ham United, 2-1 victory against Watford, and the 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

While delivering team news ahead of the Red Devils fixture, Frank has ruled out the Super Eagle for a longer period.

“Christian Norgaard and Kristoffer Ajer, touch wood, should be available to play on Monday,” Frank told the club’s official website.

“Ethan Pinnock is not ready. We hope Southampton could be a possibility which is the same for Sergi Canos. However, Frank [Onyeka] could be longer. Saman Ghoddos is out with a twisted ankle.”

Since joining Brentford from Midtjylland, Onyeka has managed 20 appearances in the top-flight and accumulated 1,048 minutes of playing time. He has started in 12 of these matches across their 34 fixtures and been used as a substitute on eight occasions.

In total, Onyeka has scored one Premier League goal in 2021-2022 and amassed four yellow cards. He played 27 Superliga games last season for Midtjylland, notching three goals and providing two assists.

He switched to Brentford in July 2021 from Midtjylland, for whom he made 95 league appearances in total, scoring 15 goals and providing four assists. The midfielder debuted in a Premier League fixture for Brentford on August 13, 2021, as a starter against Arsenal aged 23 years and 224 days.

Meanwhile, Frank insists the promoted side have what it takes to beat Man United at Old Trafford.

“It’s 11 vs 11. I know they have a fantastic history and big names on the back of their shirts but it’s about going there, expressing ourselves, and trying to do our best,” Frank said in reference to Monday's fixture.

“We want to go into every game with confidence and belief that you can do something. We are not going there with fear. If we could win there, it would be unbelievable.”

Brentford are currently placed 12th on the 20-team table with 40 points from 34 matches. They have managed 11 wins, seven draws and suffered 16 defeats.