Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo set to miss 2023 AFCON

Brentford and Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo is set to miss the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after undergoing surgery on his injured ankle, according to Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

The Brentford boss revealed that the 24-year-old will be out for around 12 weeks.

The 24-year-old, Brentford's top scorer in the Premier League with seven goals this season, sustained the injury in their 2-1 defeat at Brighton on 6 December.

The AFCON is scheduled to begin on 13 January in Ivory Coast, with Cameroon starting their campaign against Guinea two days later.

Mbeumo's absence adds to Brentford's already extensive injury list, including Kristoffer Ajer, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Mathias Jensen, and Kevin Schade.

Last season's suspended top scorer Ivan Toney has also been unavailable throughout the campaign but is expected to return from an eight-month betting ban on 20 January.

Coach Frank commented on the team's injury struggles, saying, "Almost from game one, we've struggled a little bit with injuries. We need to look at it in January, but we never rush into things. We try to be clever and make calm and sensible decisions.

“We will not take a player if we don't think it's for the longer term. Maybe this time a loan, but it depends on how things go over the next three or four weeks."

JNA/NOQ