Ivan Toney absence explained by Brentford boss Thomas Frank with striker snubbed for Crystal Palace clash

Manchester United were tipped to land Toney earlier in the year, though clubs from the Middle East are keen as well.

The 28-year-old has been left out of the Brentford squad for today's match with Crystal Palace, with Yoane Wissa given the job of leading the line.

And Frank has now revealed Toney has been omitted due to the huge interest in his main man.

He told Sky Sports: "A lot of things going on with Ivan [Toney], especially with transfers, there's a lot of transfer interest.

"Because of all that, we've decided not to include him in the squad.

"I can't give too much away the day before. Of course Ivan is a top player, we all know that.

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"He has been fantastic for us for four years but we showed last season we can cope without him."

When asked if Toney had played his last match for the club, Frank added: "Who knows.

"There is interest, it's not close."

Frank has lavished praise on Palace, saying they 'looked great' towards the end of the last season following the appointment of Oliver Glasner as manager.

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And he's expecting today to be a difficult match as a result.

"I'm expecting a difficult game, a tight game," he added.

"I think they [Crystal Palace] looked brilliant at the end of last season.

"But I also know my team, our team, what the players are capable of. We need to be aggressive, on the front foot and brave. I'm looking forward to it."

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Frank's comments come less than 48 hours after he'd said Toney was 'available' for the fixture with Palace.

Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Frank stated: The fresh news is that he trained out there with a big smile on his face - he looks sharp, with a good attitude, and is available for Sunday."

On the availability of other players. he added: "The main thing last season was that we had too many injuries.

"A lot of them are now in a good place - for example, Ben Mee and Keane Lewis-Potter will be available for selection on Sunday, which is a very good thing.

"Rico [Henry] and Aaron [Hickey] are the two other closest ones. They are also progressing well. Rico trained in the 11v11 today and destroyed the tactical plan because he ran straight through the defence of the team I had!

"Realistically, before the international break will be difficult for them to be involved in the squad. But let's see - I'm positive about Rico after today. It will be game by game after that.

"Hickey is back on the grass but is in the first part of some prep and passing."