By Adam Ellis
Brentford midfielder Lewis Macleod will head to the United States in order to give him the best possible recovery from a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered last October.
The Scot required reconstructive surgery to his knee after sustaining the injury challenging for the ball late on during the Bees 2-0 victory over QPR.
Like his former team-mate Scott Hogan, who suffered two cruciate ligament injuries during his time at Griffin Park, Macleod will travel to the U.S for two weeks of specialist rehabilitation treatment, with a return for the start of the 2017-18 season the target.
Brentford manager Dean Smith provided an update on the 22-year-old's status: “He's doing really well. He's walking without a limp. I believe he's got full movement but he's got a lot of rehabilitation work to do.
“He's going to the States to do some of that but the medical department are pleased with his progress. We're just looking at getting him through that two weeks in the States.”
Signed in January 2015, the former Rangers man has managed only 14 appearances for the west London outfit following a succession of long-term injuries that have kept him sidelined.
Despite this, Brentford extended the player's contract in December to keep him at the club until 2019, mirroring the same approach taken with Hogan who was also handed a extended deal mid-way through his intense rehab.
“When we learned about the nature of the injury to Lewis, there was no doubt that we were going to look after him in the same way that we did Scott Hogan, including the opportunity to extend his contract, giving him every opportunity to return in the best possible shape,” Bees director Phil Giles said at the time.
