Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo will be out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury and will miss the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast with Cameroon.
Mbeumo picked up the injury during Brentford’s 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion last week, with head coach Thomas Frank later confirming he expected the 24-year-old to be out for “weeks” with what he thought there was ligament damage.
“Surgery today on the ankle,” Frank said Friday. “Out for 12 weeks. Bryan is a positive guy. Anyone who gets a setback is always hard to take, but he’ll come back stronger.”
Mbeumo was in remarkable form for Brentford before his injury. He started all of their league games, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 15 appearances.
The forward was born in France and came through the ranks at Troyes, before joining Brentford in 2019. Playing for France at youth level, Mbeumo qualified to play for Cameroon through his family and made his debut last year.
Mbeumo has been a regular in Cameroon squads since then and has made 14 appearances for the African side, scoring three goals including the decisive first in September’s 3-0 win over Burundi, which qualified his nation for this season’s AFCON.
Cameroon were drawn against Senegal, Guinea and Gambia. Rigobert Song’s side will face Guinea in their first match in Yamoussoukro on January 15.
The tournament was originally meant to take place this summer but was pushed back due to weather concerns. It starts on January 13 and ends with the final on February 11.
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Big miss for Brentford
Mbeumo’s injury will have huge consequences for Brentford’s season. While Ivan Toney served an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules, Mbeumo stepped up to become their main attacking threat. Before his injury, he was directly involved in 10 goals this season – 43.5 percent of Brentford’s total (23).
In that state, only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan (both 50), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (47.1) and Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke (44.4) have better records, according to Opta.
There will be pressure on Yoane Wissa to step up, but he has only scored once in his last 13 appearances while Keane Lewis-Potter is still searching for his first goal in the top flight. With Kevin Schade also out long-term with an adductor injury, Brentford lack pace and direct dribbling going forward, so will need to adjust their style.
The only bit of positive news is that Frank’s side only have three more league games, two against teams below them, before Toney can return from his ban.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
