Andrews on Furo's surgery, Reading and taking Carabao Cup 'very seriously'

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Tueday's Carabao Cup third round game against League One side Reading at The Select Car Leasing Stadium (20:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Andrews confirmed he intended to start 19-year-old striker Kaye Furo, who won the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award, on Tuesday but the youngster picked up an injury in the last few days and had to undergo surgery on Monday. Providing more detail, he added: "Unfortunately for him, he's had to have an operation this morning. The timing of an injury is obviously never good for a player, but I felt he was just coming into a really good place with his game. That's really frustrating for him. I would've started him against Reading because I felt he deserved it and was in that type of space. I'm not sure how long he's going to be out for but we'll obviously look after him and get him back to a good place." However, young defender Benjamin Fredrick will be involved against the Royals: "He hasn't had a lot of football but has come back in the last couple of weeks. We decided not to play him in the B team game on Sunday to make sure he was in the right place to be available for our game against Reading. I anticipate he'll be involved." On the importance of the Carabao Cup: "We've got 5000 fans going to the game. That for me says it all - the belief the fans have that we are taking it very seriously. We did it last year. We pushed as hard as we could. We didn't get to where we wanted to but that's the plan this year." On his side's start to the season: "The way I look at the last few weeks is that we set the bar very, very high in some games and we haven't quite hit that level. We are a team that is very respected now and with that comes a different type of pressure to perform and get results." Asked what has been his favourite aspect of his first 50 games in charge of the Bees, Andrews said: "Seeing the team and the group grow and evolve and mature and gain a really nice way of working together. That is underpinned on trust and belief. I just love the journey we have been on together. I have tried to learn and evolve and be really demanding of our group, but also really supportive." On Tuesday's opponents Reading: "We have to pay the opposition ultimate respect, and that's something we do really well. Players are always very aware who they're up against and what it will feel like. We need to play our game. Reading will have their plan, I have watched them from afar. We will have to play really well." Got a question about Brentford? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]