Brentford's Andrews hails 'sensational' Thiago after Brazilian nets brace to sink Sunderland

Igor Thiago celebrates one of his two goals on Wednesday night
Igor Thiago celebrates one of his two goals on Wednesday nightAction Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Brentford manager Keith Andrews hailed Igor Thiago as a sensational player he ‍would not swap for anyone after the Brazilian scored twice in a 3-0 demolition of Sunderland on Wednesday.

The win sent Brentford ​fifth in the Premier League table, with Thiago setting a record for most goals in a single season by a Brazilian player.

Now on 16 ‌goals from 21 games, with five in his last two outings, Thiago is ‌second only to Manchester City's Erling Haaland (20) in the goalscorer table.

He could have had a second successive hat-trick - after three against Everton last Sunday - but for an early miss and Andrews substituting him off in the ⁠82nd minute as a precaution after the player had taken a knock.

"I had to ‌just make that decision, which obviously wasn't entirely popular with him, but I ​think he's understood it," Andrews told reporters.

"He's been sensational. The way he's attacked the league, the way he's affected the ‍league, the way he's developing his game - I think you can see that in the types of goals that he's scoring now ‍compared to earlier in the ‌season.

"And it's not just the goals, it's his overall performance and the selfless way he plays the game. He's not a centre-forward that just stays between two centre-backs and looks to poach goals.

"He's all action. ⁠He leads the line, he runs the channels, he presses back, he's amazing from set pieces. He's a complete centre-forward."

Brentford - Sunderland match stats
Brentford - Sunderland match statsOpta by StatsPerform

Asked whether he backed his player to make it into Brazil's 2026 World Cup side, Andrews left little doubt about his opinion.

"It's not for me to pick the Brazil squad, but I know what I think of Thiago and I hold him in the highest regards," he said. "I wouldn't be swapping him for anybody. I only see the trajectory going one way and that's upwards."

Premier League top goalscorers
Premier League top goalscorersReuters / Tony O'Brien / Opta by StatsPerform

Andrews said Thiago, who joined Brentford in ⁠2024 from Belgian side Club Brugge after a spell in ‌Bulgaria, was exceeding all expectations.

"I think anybody who would have thought he would have been this good would probably be not entirely honest," he added.

"I don't know how many have come from the Bulgarian League to the Belgian League, had a year ⁠out injured pretty much, and then affected the league like ​this. I think he's ahead of schedule, really."

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