Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer returned to action on Thursday night to help the club’s Under-21s into the Premier League Cup final with a 2-1 victory over west London rivals Fulham.
The Norwegian has suffered an injury-plagued season, making just nine Premier League starts all term, and has not featured for the first team since the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in early February because of a calf problem.
With club captain Pontus Jansson ruled out for the rest of the campaign and set to join Malmo in the summer, Ajer’s return to fitness could prove timely for Thomas Frank, who had no recognised centre-back on the bench for the midweek win at Chelsea.
The Premier League Cup was launched a decade ago as an U21 equivalent of the FA Youth Cup, with each side allowed to field a limited number of overage players, hence the 25-year-old Ajer’s involvement.
The former Celtic defender played 71 minutes of Thursday’s game at Motspur Park, setting up Alex Gilbert’s opener, with Tristan Crama also on target before Luke Harris’ stoppage-time consolation for the visitors. Brentford will play Blackburn in the final.
