Brentford's Sergi Canos has been sidelined since the start of October, but his absence has allowed summer-signing Bryan Mbeumo to flourish in the starting line-up.

Going into this season, Thomas Frank's first full one as Brentford manager, Canos was one of their key players.

The Spaniard who was entering his third full-season at Griffin Park was a key figure for the Bees last campaign, playing 44 times in the Championship and scoring seven.

He played 11 league games before picking up a serious knee injury in a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in October and had to have surgery the same month - he's expected to make a comeback before the end of the season.

Canos was part of an under-performing Brentford side in the earlier parts of the season, and didn't look to be at his firing best for the Bees. But his absence has opened up a spot in Frank's starting line-up and in it has come Mbeumo.

Frank had adopted a 4-3-3 formation shortly before Canos' injury with the Spaniard playing in that front-three. An unfamiliar position for the 22-year-old, Mbeumo has since managed to cement his place in starting 11 and established himself as a keen goal-scorer in the Championship this season.

His winning goal against Fulham at the weekend was his fourth in as many games for the Bees and his eighth of the season - one more than Canos scored in all of last season.

He brings something a bit different and new to the team that Canos couldn't - Mbeumo has a much more physical aspect to his game, with pace and power to go alongside his fine form in-front of goal.

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Playing on the right of Brentford's front-three, Mbeumo and his side's recent form has made their attack one of the most dangerous and feared in the league, and the Frenchman one of the best young strikers.

It's easy to forget that he's only 20-years-old and that this is his first season in English Football. He plays with such confidence and maturity for a youngster and has quickly proved his worth with some really important goals of late - he opened the scoring in wins against Luton last month and Cardiff earlier this month.

Bees fans would've feared the worst when Canos was ruled out for several months - he remains a class player and an important one to Brentford but if he hadn't have picked up that injury, Mbeumo may never have hit the form he has and Brentford may not be the promotion contenders that they are today.