Brentford are hopeful January signing Yunus Emre Konak will make a full return from injury before the end of the season.
The Bees have been hit hard by injuries this season, and the 18-year-old defensive midfielder tore his hip adductor tendons in the warm-up before a friendly against Danish side Brondby just a fortnight after his £4million arrival from Turkish club Sivasspor.
Konak was immediately put on crutches but has now been walking unaided for more than a month. He has been doing individualised training sessions at Brentford’s Jersey Road training ground for a number of weeks, and the club are hopeful of his return to first-team training before the end of the season.
The teenager, who only signed his first professional contract last March, was signed as a first-team player but would spend time with Brentford B before fully integrating him into Thomas Frank’s squad.
The adductor injury has, therefore, made it a difficult first few months in England for the Turkey Under-21 international.
Konak was being tracked by other top European clubs before joining Brentford in January.
Brentford also signed Sergio Reguilon on a six-month loan from Tottenham in January, as well as beating Aston Villa to the £2.6m signing of Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson from Swedish side Elfsborg.
The Bees sit 15th in the Premier League — just four points above the relegation zone — and host the league’s bottom side, Sheffield United, at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
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