Brentford news: Bees dealt major setback as £16m summer signing suffers season-ending injury

Brentford midfielder Antoni Milambo has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a serious knee injury.

Milambo sustained the significant injury while representing the Netherlands Under-21s in the recent international window.

The 20-year-old was stretchered off in Friday's goalless draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Euro Under-21 qualifying.

Brentford have now released a statement to confirm that the youngster sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 

Antoni Milambo will undergo surgery and be in rehabilitation for the remainder of the season after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on international duty with Netherlands Under-21s

We're all with you, Antoni ?

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) October 15, 2025

Milambo suffers season-ending injury

In the statement, Brentford said Milambo will "undergo surgery and will be in rehabilitation for the remainder of the season".

As a result, Milambo's first season as a Brentford player is over before he had the chance to make a meaningful impact on the pitch.

Brentford signed Milambo in the summer for an initial £16m, plus a further £4.25m in add-ons, after being left with the player's performances at Feyenoord last term.

The Dutchman netted seven goals and provided nine assists in 43 appearances in all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign. 

However, he has not had the chance to showcase his talents in a Brentford shirt this season, having been restricted to just three competitive appearances, with only one of those taking place in the Premier League. 

© Iconsport

How will Milambo's injury impact Brentford?

Considering that Milambo has not played a Premier League game since the opening day of the season, it may be easy to conclude that the Bees should be able to contend with his extended absence.

However, Brentford may have had plans to slowly bring him into the fold following his underwhelming start to life as a Premier League player.

With that said, the Bees still boast a wealth of midfield options and may avoid the temptation to sign a new midfielder in January as long as there are no other major issues between now and the new year.

Andrews can currently call upon Jordan Henderson, Vitaly Janelt, Mikkel Damsgaard, Mathias Jensen, Yehor Yarmolyuk and Frank Onyeka in the middle of the park. 

For Milambo, the season-ending injury compounds a brutal start to his Brentford career, but at 20, he still has plenty of time to prove that he can succeed in the English top flight.