Frank on Toney's fitness, Mbeumo and a 'tough season'

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's trip to Everton in the Premier League.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Frank said he "hopes" Ivan Toney will be available for Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury but he is "not counting on" defender Aaron Hickey returning this season from his respective hamstring issue. He added that the Bees have no fresh injury concerns.

• On his side's campaign so far: "It's been a tough season - every [season]is in the Premier League, no matter where you are in the table. But this season in particular because of injuries and other things that have been happening."

• He conceded that losing Bryan Mbeumo to a long-term injury hindered his plans: "The big thing is we knew that we'd miss Ivan (Toney) for a big part of the season, and of course it was a loss, but I was confident when we went into the season and didn't buy another striker."

• More on the impact of playing without Toney and Mbuemo: "We got Neal [Maupay] in on loan to help the squad, but I thought the other players were good enough. But if you also take out the next player in line, which is Bryan, then it becomes a bit tricky."

• When asked whether Saturday's 5-1 win over Luton was a glimpse of life after Ivan Toney Frank said: "Potentially, let's see what happens with Ivan - but it's important to see the quality we have in the squad. It was promising."

• On the big win over the Hatters: "I think it was a statement win - we've had a few over the last few years. Not only in the fact we won but the way we performed throughout the game. Everything Luton threw at us we controlled and we were such a threat going forward."

Follow the rest of Thursday's Premier League news conferences

Live commentary of Everton v Brentford from 17:30 BST on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live