Carlos: It's good news on Alfie

Carlos Carvalhal has breathed a sigh of relief over Alfie Mawson after revealing the defender will be fit to feature at Brighton this weekend.

And the Swans boss expects Mawson to be available for the rest of the season despite concerns prompted by the locked knee he suffered at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.

The Swans had initially feared Mawson would face a spell on the sidelines after he pulled up prior to the FA Cup tie at Hillsborough.

But the former Barnsley man has returned to full training and is in contention to stretch his long run of successive Premier League starts.

“Alfie is okay,” Carvalhal said. “He has recovered as we expected. He is training normally and he will be available to be in the 18 on Saturday.

“It’s not a problem that we have to manage. His knee locked before the game last weekend, which has happened to him before, and by the end of the game he was feeling much better.

“The most important thing is that he can play and we expect him to play for the rest of the season.”

The availability of Mawson is a major boost for the Swans given that he has been one of their most consistent performers this season.

Carvalhal has good options at the heart of defence, with Federico Fernandez, Mike van der Hoorn and Kyle Bartley all fighting for game-time.

But Carvalhal has hailed Mawson as one of the top flight’s star performers in his position.

“Alfie is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, that’s for sure,” he added.

“He is progressing a lot – I think he is doing some different things already since we have been here.

“It’s good to have him available because we need all the players. It’s good also to have Leon Britton back.”

Britton returned to full training today after having an injection in his pelvis and hopes to force his way back into the Swans’ starting side.

“It’s good news with Leon,” Carvalhal said.

“He will not be available for Saturday because he has only trained for one day, but let’s see if he can be involved next Tuesday in the FA Cup.

“I believe also that Renato Sanches will be back with us in the next month, so it is good to have more options.”