Brentford boss Thomas Frank is delighted with the season form of Mathias Zanka.

The Denmark defender was released at the end of last season, but convinced Frank to re-sign him after returning to train with the squad as a free agent.

He is now a key player and Frank says: "He is really good at stepping into the role we want to use him for. On the field, he understands our zone principles, which he was brought up with in FCK, and you won't find a better place to learn that.

"When he has been needed, he has just stepped in and done excellently, I must say. He has gone from being - and I know that it didn't end so well in FCK - but in many of his seasons he has been the one who should be the most decisive.

"He has been really good at this, and every time there has been a need for us to have an experienced player who could step in, know what it was about, could make the team stronger and put it all together. He has just done really well there."