Rico Henry has suffered a serious knee injury that is likely to keep him out for the remainder of the 2023/24 season, Brentford have confirmed.
The 26-year-old left-back was hurt when challenging for the ball with Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier on Saturday, going off in the 42nd minute.
Henry suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury in September 2017 that sidelined him until November 2018, and a Brentford statement now says he has suffered another "significant knee injury".
The club's head of medical Neil Greig added: “Rico will require surgery in the next week or so and, unfortunately, a prolonged period of recovery.
“Whilst this is disappointing, Rico has been through a similar experience in the past and is already focused on using this as an opportunity to become fitter and stronger than before. We will support him fully throughout this process.”
We are all with you, @ricohenry14 ❤🤍 pic.twitter.com/N0UjoTwsPZ
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 19, 2023
Henry is Brentford's longest-serving player and had started every Premier League match this campaign.
Indeed, he has only missed five matches in the competition since August 2021 when the Bees joined the top flight.
Brentford will aim to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle and the loss of Henry when they welcome Everton to the Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday.