Brentford manager Thomas Frank has explained his decision to leave striker Neal Maupay out of the pre-season friendly against Norwich City last night.

The Bees continued their preparations for the new season with a 3-1 win over Norwich in a behind-closed-doors friendly, but Maupay was left out of the squad.

The 22-year-old scored 25 goals for Brentford in the Championship last season and has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League this summer, with Sheffield United and Aston Villa both interested in signing him.

Frank admitted during his post-match interview last night that he decided to leave the Frenchman out of the friendly against Norwich due to the speculation surrounding his future.

“With Neal Maupay, we know the speculation around him so we thought it was best to focus on the guys we took to Norwich,” Frank said.

Maupay scored 28 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for Brentford last season and established himself as one of the most prolific strikers outside of the top flight.

The forward has two years remaining on his contract with Brentford and the club are understood to value him at around £15million.

The Verdict

With just two weeks to go until the start of the new season, Frank will want to use that time to work with the players that he knows will definitely be at the club next season, so I totally understand his reasons for leaving Maupay out of last night's friendly.

However, the fact that he left him out suggests that he is concerned he might leave and that would have to be considered a major blow for Brentford.

Maupay is a fantastic striker and it will be a massive blow for the Bees to lose him this summer. He's got all the attributes of a top centre-forward and I think he's capable of making an impact in the Premier League.

He'd be a fantastic signing for Sheffield United or Villa, but it would be a huge boost if Brentford are able to keep him at the club this summer.