Brentford manager Thomas Frank has provided an update on the condition of Scotland defender Aaron Hickey.
The 22-year-old has been sidelined since mid-May last year with a hamstring injury, although he returned to play for his club’s under-21s team last week, scoring in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City under-21s.
That raised hopes among Scotland supporters that Hickey could be available for this month’s UEFA Nations League A relegation playoff against Greece.
Frank, though, says the full-back won’t feature in Brentford’s next two English Premier League matches before the international break against Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
The Danish boss stressed the need for patience as Hickey recovers: “I’m pleased with that [Hickey’s progress],” said Frank (brentfordfc.com).
“He will not be involved in this game [vs Aston Villa] or the next one [vs Bournemouth] – we are looking at after the international break. We need to take it step by step. With him and Rico [Henry], we need to build the robustness.”
Hickey missed out on last summer’s European Championships through his hamstring injury.
Celtic’s Anthony Ralston has predominantly deputised at right-back in his absence.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke names his squad for the March international break next week.
