Ivan Toney is able to return to training next week after his ban, which saw him banned from all footballing activity.
Despite the fact that he can not play a competitive fixture until late January, he is allowed to feature in Bees training.
Toney is a big player in the squad and will have been sorely missed by the players and staff alike.
Earlier this season, teammate Bryan Mbeumo described his ‘character, energy and leadership’ being the biggest miss.
Last season he scored 20 and assisted four in the Premier League despite missing out on the last days of the season.
There hasn’t been a dip in form without the Englishman but Frank wouldn’t say no to having him back.
What has Thomas Frank said about Ivan Toney?
Despite his obvious quality, Toney will need to come up to full match fitness, that won’t happen overnight.
For that reason, Frank said: “We’ll try to work on his strength and some other areas for development. It’s longer than a six-week pre-season.
“He knows that we want the best for him, and that we are there for him.”
Toney will be almost working on his own thing, his impact within the club will be very helpful.
Frank is relishing his return: “For us it’s very good to have him back.
“He’s a very good player, but more importantly an important person to have around the group. He’s training hard, he’s very positive and he’ll bring a lot of energy.”
With all that has happened, there hasn’t been much discourse from Toney himself.
Toney has taken this challenge in his stride and accepted it.
This is something his manager is happy about: “I’m proud of Ivan, massively, the journey he’s been on, the resilience he’s shown throughout his life and the progress he’s made.
“He should be an example for a lot of footballers, with what he’s achieved.”
There is still four months until his match return but this is one step in the right direction for the Bees.