Alan Judge is determined to return to full fitness as quickly as he can, according to Brentford head coach Dean Smith.
There are no timescales in place on when the Irishman can make a return after his horrific leg break but the club are hopeful he can make a full recovery, although his Euro 2016 dreams have been dashed.
Smith went to see Judge in hospital on Sunday and, while the Irishman was understandably down after the reckless challenge from Luke Hyam, he remained determined to achieve his goals.
The head coach said: “He was obviously a little bit down but he had his family around him – his wife and two kids.
“His Dad and sister flew over from Ireland as well. He had a lot of people around him was really good.
“He was down but he'll be thinking about how quickly he can get back and that's the type of person he is. He and his family have been overwhelmed with the support he's received.”
Mick McCarthy wasn't happy with Smith's assessment of Luke Hyam's foul challenge, insisting it wasn't even a yellow card but the Bees boss stands by the view it should have been a red.
On rare occasions, the FA have looked to upgrade a foul seen by the referee but Smith was going to leave it to the governing body to decide.
He explained: “I stand by what I said after the game. It's down to the authorities if they want to extend Luke Hyam's ban. I don't want to get involved in that.”
Ryan Woods and Alan McCormack were also criticised for their treatment of Hyam but Smith paid tribute to the discipline they showed.
“I thought they were quite disciplined,” he said. “We saw ourselves get fined for a mass confrontation at QPR when a foul wasn't given. I felt, as players, we kept our discipline really well.”
The Brentford family have rallied round Judge and the Irishman has been overwhelmed by the messages received from fans and fellow players.
Bees owner Matthew Benham went to see him straight after the game and Judge has had a constant stream of visitors since then.
Smith said: “We're there for him and he knows that. He's had regular visitors at hospital from the top all the way through the club and it'll be the same at his house as well.
“His wife and family know if they need anything they just need to pick up the phone. I think Matthew went to see him straight after the game.
“This club is a very family orientated club and there's a closeness between everybody from Matthew to the staff that work at the training ground. Everybody gets together and they look after them.”
Judge is going up against Andre Gray and Ross McCormack to be named as the Championship's player of the year and Smith believes he fully deserves to be in that company.
He explained: “He's been integral to everything we've done. He's top of the assists chart and in the goalscoring chart. At times, we became too reliant on him.
“I'm really pleased he's been recognised. I always felt he'd get called up for the Euros as there aren't Irish players with the scoring and assists record he has.
“I think all three of them are very good players but he deserves to be there. Whoever wins, deserves it.”
