We're making progress, says Fernandez

Federico Fernandez believes the Swans are making steady progress towards the opening day of the new Premier League campaign.

The Argentinian international played the second half of Swansea’s first American tour friendly against Philadelphia Union where goals from Kyle Bartley and Jordan Ayew secured a 2-2 draw.

With manager Paul Clement giving the majority of his travelling squad 45 minutes of action each, Fernandez believes it was a good foundation to build on towards the opening day clash at Southampton on August 12.

“That was only our second game of pre-season, so there is still a long way to go,’’ explained Fernandez, who was also impressed with the local Swans support at the Talen Energy Stadium.

“It was a tough game because they are already well into their MLS season and looked fast and strong. They played some good football and closed us down well.

“We needed to keep working hard to compete with them because we are only two weeks into our preparations.

“We’ve also been working very hard in training this week so it was difficult to feel good and fresh on the pitch.

“I think it was a nice balance for everyone to play 45 minutes each before maybe playing longer in the next couple of games.

“We’ve got to keep looking to improve every week. We have one month to go before the season kicks off, so it all begins again tomorrow.’’