Fabio Carvalho season ending injury blow rocks Brentford

By SABC Sport
21st November 2025

Brentford's campaign has been dealt another serious setback after Fabio Carvalho was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a major knee injury.

The club confirmed on Thursday that the 23-year-old attacking midfielder has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, becoming the second Bees player this term to sustain the same setback after Antoni Milambo's campaign ended in October.

In a statement, Brentford said: "Fabio Carvalho has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will be out for the rest of the season. The attacking midfielder has been seen by a specialist and will now prepare for upcoming surgery to repair the ACL, having already started his rehabilitation at the club."

Carvalho's latest injury has arrived at a difficult moment in his time with the Bees. Since arriving from Liverpool in the summer of 2024 on a five-year deal, the former Portugal Under-21 international has struggled to secure a consistent role in his first season and has continued to find minutes hard to come by this term.

In the 2024/25 campaign he made just three starts in 19 Premier League appearances as injuries and selection choices limited his impact. This season, under head coach Keith Andrews, Carvalho has made just one start in six Premier League matches, though he has shown his quality in the Carabao Cup with two goals and one assist in three appearances as Brentford reached the quarter-finals.

There had been growing speculation that Brentford would allow Carvalho to leave on loan in January in search of regular football, with Sunderland and Leeds United both strongly linked. Those potential moves are now off the table, with the Championship clubs already turning their attention to alternative targets.

Carvalho will now focus on a lengthy rehabilitation programme that is expected to keep him sidelined well into next season. Brentford remain fully committed to his recovery, with the player still having four years remaining on his contract.

His long-term future at the club will be reassessed when he returns to full fitness, but for now the Bees must absorb yet another major injury blow in a season that has been heavily disrupted by absences.