Brentford suffer injury blow with keeper David Raya set to be out for FIVE months with cruciate knee ligament damage
BRENTFORD have suffered an injury hammer blow with keeper David Raya set to be out for FIVE months.
The Bees No1 injured his cruciate ligament in his left knee during their 2-1 defeat to Leicester at the weekend.
It came from a collision with Foxes striker Ayoze Perez in the closing moments of the game at the Brentford Community Stadium.
The only saving grace is that the Spaniard will NOT require surgery.
A Brentford club statement from Head of Medical Neil Greig said: “David has unfortunately sustained an injury to the Posterior Cruciate Ligament in his left knee.
“The issue will require a prolonged period of time to heal and for David to then regain function and strength around the joint.
“Positively, this type of injury usually heals well without the need for surgery. David has already begun using a brace specifically designed to aid this process.
“We anticipate the recovery period for an injury like this to be somewhere between four and five months, which will enable David to be back to his previous high levels well before the end of the season.”
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Raya, 26, has been one of the stand-outs for Thomas Frank’s newly-promoted side this season.
Brentford fought hard to keep him at the club with several sides – including Arsenal – desperate to sign him.
But now Frank will have to be without his first-choice keeper until at least February in what is a major knock-back to their survival hopes despite their great start.
His replacement is set to be Alvaro Fernandez – a summer signing on loan from Spanish club Huesca.
Fernandez, 23, is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League.
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