Martinez Has Faith in Squad Depth

Swansea City gaffer Roberto Martinez has backed his squad to cope with the loss of Darren Pratley and continue their push for the play-offs.

The dynamic midfielder was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a shoulder injury that will require surgery.

The Swans have proved they have the strength in depth to replace influential players, with the likes of Alan Tate and Joe Allen stepping up to the plate in the long term absence of Marcos Painter and Ferrie Bodde.

Speaking to the Evening Post, the Spaniard said:

‘I have got great trust in my players,’ said the Swansea manager, ‘and I know we have people who can come in and help us win matches at this level.’

‘It’s impossible to replace Darren, who has taken his game on to a different level this season, but I believe we can achieve the same standards with different qualities on the pitch.’

‘In football you need to be ready to lose players through injury, and I know my squad is ready to cope. I have frustrated players who are desperate to come in and maintain our standards, and we have a number of people who can play in central midfield.’

‘We have Owain Tudur Jones, Guillem Bauza, Kris O’Leary, Joe Allen, Leon Britton, even Andrea Orlandi can play there.’

‘We are not a normal team who start the season with 11 players and then go into the loan market when an injury comes. That’s not the way we work.’

‘We work with 24 or 25 players playing in a certain way and you need to be at the club for five or six weeks to know how we do things.’

‘That’s why there’s no point bringing anyone in to replace Darren, because by the time they have got used to things he will almost be back.’