Thomas Frank says he doesn’t understand Steve Cooper’s sacking as Leicester boss as Brentford prepare to face the managerless Foxes.
Cooper was dismissed by the promoted side just over five months after his appointment and only 12 games into the Premier League season, with the East Midlands side one point above the relegation zone in 16th.
Caretaker manager Ben Dawson set to take charge of the game in West London, with former Manchester United striker and interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy rumoured to be the man to replace Cooper permanently.
Frank says Cooper’s shock dismissal has made preparation this week difficult.
The Danish coach said: “It’s terrible timing for us but we will deal with it, no doubt.
“I’m always sad to hear when a fellow coach gets sacked. I know Steve quite well from the Championship and the Premier League and I think he’s a brilliant coach. Looking from the outside, I don’t really understand why [he was sacked].
“In terms of preparation, we don’t know exactly what they will come with. I have watched zero minutes of Leicester this week because I think it’s a waste of time.”
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Norgaard red overturned
Frank will have captain Christian Norgaard available for the game after his straight red card against Everton was overturned.
The Danish midfielder was originally dismissed after catching goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s shin while going for the ball in last week’s 0-0 draw with Everton last weekend and Frank believes it was the right decision to rescind his three-match suspension.
Brentford’s boss added: “It’s more happiness that we have him available for the next three games.
“It would have been a very harsh decision. I’m very happy that it was correctly overturned.
“This [VAR mistakes] will be an ongoing thing. We are luckily still dealing with people and not AI. Human beings can make mistakes. I think it is progressing in the right way.”
Brentford team news: Ajer and Nunes out
Other than long-term absentees, Frank says he has a strong set of players to choose from, although Kristoffer Ajer and Gustavo Nunes will miss out on Saturday.
He added: “In general, it’s good. We have no more injuries and we are progressing with the players who are out.
“Kristoffer [Ajer] and [Gustavo] Nunes will not be available for this game.”
