Swansea City boss Roberto Martinez says Gorka Pintado still needs up to four weeks to get rid off fitness troubles in order to be ready to deliver the best of him.
However, Martinez remains confident that the former Granada CF striker will be prepared to join the rest of the squad for the trip to Selhurst Park where the Swans will face Neil Warnock’s Crystal Palace.
According to Martinez, Pintado suffers from pain in his back and hamstring and the problems got even worse after spending 30 minutes on the pitch against Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.
Martinez told the SWEP:
| “Gorka has been carrying an injury and he felt his hamstring during the Wednesday game. His back has been giving him a bit of trouble – the problems are all linked – but we’re hoping to use the international break to get him closer to his full potential. He should be available for the Crystal Palace game, but it will probably take him another month to get up to full fitness. It hasn’t been an easy start to life at Swansea City for Gorka but hopefully he has got all his niggles out of the way and he will soon be at his peak. Gorka is an explosive player and a physical player. He is someone who can do what the fans have seen him do as a substitute for 90 minutes on a regular basis. He can show that power, strength and skill throughout games and we are excited about that. I hate muscle injuries but when a player moves countries, he needs to adapt to different training regimes. The demands of the game are completely different and every player needs a bit of time to settle.” |
