Korey Smith and Liam Walsh set to miss Blades clash

12th August
First team
Blackburn away Korey Smith 1

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin has confirmed Korey Smith and Liam Walsh will miss this weekend’s clash with Sheffield United, but new signing Flynn Downes is in contention to make his debut.

Smith suffered a calf injury in the defeat at Blackburn on the opening day of the season, while Walsh is nursing a hamstring issue picked up in the final pre-season friendly against Southampton.

While the pair are hopefully not expected to be long-term absentees, Martin will be without them for the visit of the Blades for his first home game in charge.

“We’ve got a few bumps and bruises. Korey is not long term, but it’s not an instant return,” said the Swans boss.

“We have make sure the time is right and he recovers well. We’ve got a brilliant medical team here who are on top of their game so we are comfortable with where that is at.

“Walshy had an injury before we came in, which was disappointing because we know he is an excellent footballer.

Liam Walsh Southampton

“He’s similar to Korey in that he won’t be back immediately.

“Jamie Paterson is fine, there are a few others we have to manage at the minute.

“We are trying to get them up to speed in games after a disrupted pre-season, which can be tough and it’s about finding the right balance.”

Downes, meanwhile, joined the club for an undisclosed fee from Ipswich Town earlier this week.

And, having trained with his new team-mates over recent days, he is in the mix for the clash with the Blades.

“Flynn is ready,” said Martin.

“He has had a good pre-season and played a few games. He feels fit, he has not done a huge amount but he has looked good in training and we are grateful to the board for bringing him here.”