Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has been ruled out for 12 weeks due to an ankle injury.

Mbeumo missed last Saturday's loss to Sheffield United after he was forced off in a recent defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank initially described the injury as a "bad" one, and he has now confirmed that the Cameroon international will miss the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to start in January.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with Aston Villa, Frank said: "Operation today in the ankle. Out for 12 weeks. So that will affect his Africa Cup of Nations. He will not participate.

"Let's get through the operation first. Bryan is a positive guy. Everyone that gets a set back it's always tough to take, but he will come back stronger. Very, very good mindset so I'm convinced he will come back stronger."

© Reuters

Mbeumo has been a key player for the Bees this season, scoring seven goals in 15 league games to help fill the void left by the suspended Ivan Toney.

The injury setback will deny the Cameroon international the chance to make his first appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mbuemo is now part of a lengthy injury list that features Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade and Kristoffer Ajer.

Mathias Jensen and Josh Dasilva are progressing well in their respective recoveries, but they remain unavailable for Sunday's contest.

© Reuters

With Frank having to contend with several absentees, he has hinted that the flurry of injuries could force Brentford to bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window.

"Of course, the long-term ones are irritating," the Brentford boss added. "Almost from game one, we've struggled a little bit with injuries. But we still have a good group of players who are willing to fight.

"We need to look at it in January, but we never rush into things; we try to be clever and take 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."

Having picked up 19 points from 16 games, Brentford are sitting in 11th place ahead of Sunday's home meeting with the Villans.