Western Mail

Swansea to assess Bony ahead of Championsh­ip clash with Villa

- TOM COLEMAN Football writer tom.coleman@walesonlin­e.co.uk

SWANSEA City boss Graham Potter admits that Wilfried Bony will need to be assessed ahead of today’s Boxing Day home clash with Aston Villa (3pm).

The 30-year-old has seen his second spell at the Liberty Stadium wrecked by a anterior cruciate ligament injury, and made a long-awaited start during the 3-2 defeat to Hull City on Saturday night.

The Ivorian netted just three minutes on an otherwise frustratin­g night for the Swans, before being replaced by Oli McBurnie on 64 minutes.

Potter admits the decision to withdraw the striker was a precaution­ary measure, with Bony complainin­g of a slight niggle at half-time, but revealed he now faces an anxious wait to see if Bony will be fully fit for the visit of Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Explaining his decision, Potter said after the game: “It was purely down to fitness. That was the first start he’s had since his injury.

“He felt his groin at half-time and a little bit of tightness in that area. He wasn’t comfortabl­e in playing more than 15 minutes of that second half.

“We’ll see if he can recover for Villa and see how that process goes, because the second game is quite a short time to recover when you’ve just played your first match after such a long time.”

The impact made by Bony was a timely reminder of the sort of quality he can offer in the final third, although the striker’s future remains the subject of speculatio­n, with a host of clubs linked with a possible move.

It’s understood that Swansea were willing to let Bony move on last summer, with Galatasara­y showing strong interest in a possible loan deal.

That move never materialis­ed, although Bony has continued to be linked away as the season approaches the January transfer window.

Scottish champions Celtic have been the latest name mentioned, but Potter insists transfer speculatio­n is not playing on his mind ahead of the festive period.

“It’s no considerat­ion at all,” he added. “Like I’ve said before, I’m trying to help Wilf get back to full fitness. I’ve enjoyed working with him, he’s been great around the place. He tries his best and tries to help the team.”

Daniel James also marked his return from injury with an appearance off the bench during Saturday’s defeat, while Tom Carroll is due to return to training this week, giving Potter the luxury of a near fullstreng­th squad to choose from.

However, Potter is under no illusions about the test that awaits them against Aston Villa, who suffered their first defeat under Dean Smith after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at home to Leeds United.

“The next match is always the most important,” Potter continued. “They’re a team with really good players. Dean’s come in and improved things there and the environmen­t there’s improved. If you look at their squad it’s as good as anybody in the league and we expect a tough game.

“They’re a big club in the Championsh­ip. They’ve invested quite a lot and they’ll probably be one of quite a few clubs wanting to be back in the

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> Graham Potter

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