How being ‘forgotten’ while injured shaped Keith Andrews’ Brentford approach | OneFootball

Keith Andrews says his commitment to injured players stems from feeling overlooked during his own lay-offs, a stance Brentford’s Fabio Carvalho has felt first-hand.

Carvalho, 23, tore his ACL in November last year, then returned after 318 days on Tuesday and scored in a 2-1 League Cup win at Reading. Hounslow Herald reports that he praised Andrews for detailed daily check-ins throughout his rehab.

Asked if past support inspired him, Andrews said it was the opposite. He recalled being largely ignored when injured in what he called different times, adding that it was wrong then and remains wrong now.

He believes player care has improved in recent years and says Brentford work hard to welcome footballers and their families, helping them adapt to a new city, culture and language. During long-term ACL recoveries, Carvalho and Antoni Milambo were kept in team meetings and travelled on away days to stay connected.

Andrews wants injured players to avoid isolation and to feel part of the club and its family. He argues the hardest spell is injury, not non-selection, because training and playing are taken away.

Milambo, who suffered his injury in October three months after joining, is expected to return to first-team action soon. Prodigy striker Kaye Furo sustained a metatarsal injury last week and had surgery on Monday, leaving him sidelined for a while.

Source: Hounslow Herald

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