BRENTFORD suffered a massive blow as Ivan Toney was stretchered off during their match at West Ham.
The forward netted the first in a two-goal victory for the Bees at the London Stadium.
Toney, who was called up to the England squad earlier this season, was injured when he jumped for a header late on in the match.
He then appeared to fall awkwardly on his right knee, requiring medical attention.
The former Peterborough man has netted 12 goals in just 16 Premier League games this season and his injury could represent a body blow for Thomas Frank’s side.
But Frank was positive about Toney’s prospects of a quick recovery in his post-match press conference.
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The Brentford manager said: “Hopefully it’s good. I don’t exactly know how he will be for the Liverpool game in three days’ time.
“It’s unlikely that he would come off unless it is something. It could be a little worse.
“It’s never a good sign but we don’t know enough yet.”
The injury came far too late for West Ham to force a way back into the match.
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Hammers boss David Moyes now finds himself under immense pressure with his side just one point above the relegation zone.
And they could move to the foot of the table if all the bottom three win their games in hand.
Brentford have moved up to ninth position as a result of their victory but look like they may have to do without their star man for the foreseeable future.
But they may well have been planning for such an eventuality in the transfer window anyway as Toney could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines even if his injury turns out not to be a bad one.
The striker has been charged by the FA with a whopping 232 betting breaches, meaning he could face a huge ban.
In 2016, Joey Barton was banned for 18 months after placing 1260 bets over a period of ten years.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
