Brentford boss Thomas Frank has revealed that Fabio Carvalho faces an uphill battle to play again this season.
Carvalho has experienced a tricky time since joining Brentford from Liverpool last summer, having been restricted to three starts in 24 competitive appearances.
The 22-year-old did manage to score in his most recent Premier League appearance, netting the fourth and final goal in a resounding 4-0 away victory over Leicester City.
Carvalho was then an unused substitute for a 1-1 draw with Everton, before he missed the recent defeat against Aston Villa after it was revealed he had undergone surgery on a dislocated shoulder.
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Frank provides update on Carvalho's recovery timeline
Frank has confirmed that Carvalho faces a significant spell on the sidelines, revealing his recovery will have to be perfect if he is to have any chance of playing again this season.
"[Carvalho] is a longer one," Frank told reporters at Thursday's pre-match press conference. "A quick and good recovery could keep the return to play time down, so he could be back just before the end of the season, but it would need to be a top return to play time."
Centre-back Sepp van den Berg has missed the last three matches, while full-back Michael Kayode was not fit to feature against Aston Villa last weekend.
Van den Berg and Kayode are both nursing knee injuries, although the former could return to the squad for Saturday's meeting with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
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Van den Berg in contention for Bournemouth clash
"Sepp trained the whole week, so there's a good chance he will be involved," Frank said. "[Kayode] is just a little bit after Sepp, so he is unlikely to be involved. I expect him to be available for Newcastle (on April 2)."
The Bees are still having to cope without the services of Josh Dasilva, Gustavo Nunes, Igor Thiago and Rico Henry, although the latter is back in full training.
Brentford will be keen to return to winning ways at the weekend after taking just one point from their last two Premier League outings.
Frank's side currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League table, having collected 38 points from 28 matches this season.
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