Brentford manager Thomas Frank has provided an update on the condition of Scotland defender Aaron Hickey.
The 22-year-old has been sidelined since mid-May last year with a hamstring injury, although he returned to play for his club's under-21s team last week, scoring in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City under-21s.
That raised hopes among Scotland supporters that Hickey could be available for this month's UEFA Nations League A relegation playoff against Greece.
Frank, though, says the full-back won't feature in Brentford's next two English Premier League matches before the international break against Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
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The Danish boss stressed the need for patience as Hickey recovers: "I’m pleased with that [Hickey's progress]," said Frank (brentfordfc.com).
"He will not be involved in this game [vs Aston Villa] or the next one [vs Bournemouth] – we are looking at after the international break. We need to take it step by step. With him and Rico [Henry], we need to build the robustness."
Hickey missed out on last summer's European Championships through his hamstring injury.
Celtic's Anthony Ralston has predominantly deputised at right-back in his absence.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke names his squad for the March international break next week.
