Swans hope Galbraith will stay for 'a long time'

Boss Alan Sheehan believes Ethan Galbraith is showing Premier League potential but insists Swansea City are in rush to sell the midfielder.

Galbraith has made a fine start to life in the Championship after joining Swansea from Leyton Orient for about £1.5m in July.

The 24-year-old has also impressed on the international stage, most recently in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Germany.

Galbraith's form has sparked talk that his spell in the second tier may be short-lived, with speculation that the former Manchester United youngster could soon be lured to the top flight.

Swansea legend Lee Trundle said on social media this week that it is "clear to see" Galbraith "is Premier League standard".

Sheehan said he "wouldn't disagree" with Trundle's view – but says Swansea want to "keep him here and keep building with him".

"You guys do the reports and the headlines and all of that," the Swansea head coach added.

"But look, nobody rates Gally (Galbraith) as highly as me and my staff and the players within the building, and our fans.

"He's ours right now and hopefully he will be for a long time."

Galbraith has featured in all 12 Swansea games this season, scoring once.

He has played at the base of midfield and in more advanced roles, while he has also operated briefly at right-back, where he was often deployed during his stint at League One club Orient.

Galbraith was left out of Swansea's league side for the first time immediately before the international break, in the defeat to Leicester City, with Sheehan feeling he was showing signs of fatigue.

As Swansea prepare to start a run of seven games in 21 days at Southampton on Saturday, Sheehan says Galbraith's "big workload" is an ongoing concern.

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"He's somebody who moves well, he's good with the ball, he can play in different positions, he's good in small spaces," Sheehan said.

"Sometimes when you bring players in from different leagues and it's their first time in the Championship, it takes time and people develop at different speeds. But he's somebody that's come in and hit the ground running really.

"My only worry is managing his minutes so he doesn't get burnt out and he's not on 30 games in November."

The likelihood is Galbraith will return to Swansea's starting side at St Mary's Stadium, where they will look to respond after losing at home for the first time this season against the Foxes.

Sheehan says Swansea have a number of "bumps and bruises" following an international window where a string of players were in action for their countries, though Manuel Benson has been in full training despite returning early from his spell with Angola.