Frank confirmed Rico Henry will return to a Premier League squad for the first time in 16 months but is “unlikely to start” after featuring in the FA Cup loss to Plymouth.

He added he is “very, very pleased” that Henry is back available: “He’s been one of our best players in the four years in the Premier League. It will take a little bit of time before we see him fully firing. That’s not me saying he can’t start or play a Premier League game, but consistent high performances will take a little bit of time to build.”

Meanwhile, Ben Mee is “ready” after returning from a muscle injury. Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt are also both available after missing Saturday’s game.

Midfielder Norgaard has six months remaining on his current deal but the Bees have an option to extend by a further year: “Christian is happy here and we’re happy with him. So let’s see.”

Reflecting on the FA Cup exit: “I tried to find that perfect balance between having a big week, with Plymouth first, then City, then Liverpool. I tried to balance the squad, tried to give a little bit of minutes, and maybe I didn’t hit it perfectly. I was also a little bit limited with at least seven players I didn’t want or could use. I think we had an average performance, not through the roof.”

On Fabio Carvalho, who received some criticism for his performance against the Pilgrims: “Very few players step in and perform at a good level from day one – very, very, very few. He’s a very good player and I’m convinced he will be good for us. He’s training well and he’s showing all the right attributes to become a good player for us. I told him not to be too harsh on himself.”

Carvalho’s path to the first team has been hindered by the strong form of Mikkel Damsgaard: “Damsgaard has done very well for us – it’s not that I can’t play both, because I can – but that’s made it a bit hard for him.”