Russell Martin praises Congreve's attitude and work ethic

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin has praised the attitude and work ethic of young midfielder Cameron Congreve after the academy product signed his first professional contract.

The deal will see Congreve remain with the club until the summer of 2024, and includes the option of a further 12-month extension.

The midfielder has featured regularly for the Swans under-18 and under-23 sides, having signed a scholarship deal in 2020. He first joined the club at under-nine level.

Having impressed head coach Martin, Congreve was included in the senior matchday squads against Coventry and Fulham.

And the Swans boss feels the teenager’s deal is a deserved reward, but one he must make the most of.

“Cameron has been outstanding in training. He’s a fantastic young man in terms of his character and the way he applies himself every day. He’s got a great attitude,” said Martin.

“There’s no pressure on him at all, but if he carries on doing what he’s doing he’ll be involved a lot more.

“I felt like he deserved to be in the squad [to face Coventry City] with the way he’d trained.

“Saturday was a great taster for him to see it and be around it. I’ve told him that the hard work really starts now because nothing  has beenachieved yet.

"He’s a really grounded lad and I have no doubt that he can grow with us, I just don’t want any expectation on him early on because it’s really hard for young players who support clubs - that always brings a bit of added pressure.

“I’ve watched him a lot in the under-23s this season, and we’ve had a few of those guys training with us regularly now to see if they can be part of our plans a bit quicker than expected.”

The news of the pro deal is not just a dream come true for Welsh under-18 international Congreve, but also underlines the long-term plans Martin and sporting director Mark Allen have for the club.

“We’re going to have to promote young players quickly at this club because we don’t possess the finances of certain teams in the league, so the academy has to be a big part of the long-term plan,” added Martin.

“This club’s academy has produced a number of players of real quality in recent years, and we can see from training and when we go to games that there are talented boys coming through.”