Vitaly Janelt made his first competitive appearance since April on Tuesday afternoon as he featured in Brentford B's 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic Under-21s.
Janelt, who has 136 appearances for the club in the Premier League, was a standout inclusion in Sam Saunders' starting line-up in the U21 Professional Development League.
The 27-year-old played 45 minutes at Wheatsheaf Park as he started alongside fellow first-team players Romelle Donovan, Benjamin Arthur, and Myles Peart-Harris.
It was a promising display in midfield as he looked sharp and was heavily involved in breaking down a stern Wigan set-up, exhibiting the game-controlling qualities so often seen at first-team level.
Grey's brace seals the win
He was then replaced at half-time by 19-year-old Andre Grey, who went on to score a second-half brace, including a thunderous strike in off the bar, as the Young Bees made it back-to-back league wins.
Peart-Harris opened the scoring in the 44th-minute when centre-back Josh Stephenson found himself inside of the area to assist the 22-year-old, in what was one of his numerous forays forward from defence.
Donovan scored the second less than five minutes after the interval before Grey secured a convincing win in Staines and the first at home in their defence of the U21 Professional Development League national title.
What Janelt's return means for the Bees
Janelt will be a welcome returnee to Keith Andrews' squad, having been a crucial player under the Irishman's predecessor as the Bees earned two top-half finishes since being promoted to the Premier League in 2021.
Surgery on a persistent heel issue in April saw a near ever-present season come to an end as he missed what ultimately proved to be the last five matches of Thomas Frank's tenure at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The former Germany youth international last played for Brentford on April 19 in their 4-2 win at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Mikkel Damsgaard.
Before that, the midfielder had featured in all but one of Brentford's preceding 32 top-flight matches, only missing out on their 4-2 win over Newcastle United in December.
He returned to team training in August after missing the entirety of Brentford's pre-season and will be keen to make a return after the Bees started the season with two wins in four matches in all competitions.
Janelt has been a crucial player since his £500,000 move from Bochum in 2020, featuring 196 times while contributing 13 goals and 12 assists largely from the base of midfield.
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