Liam Cullen nearing return to action, confirms Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper is hopeful of having Liam Cullen involved in a matchday squad soon after the forward completed his rehab from an ankle injury ahead of schedule.

The 21-year-old has been sidelined since being injured in the closing stages of the FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest in January, on an afternoon where he scored an impressive brace.

It had been feared that problem would see him miss the remainder of the campaign, but Cullen has returned to training and travelled with the first-team squad for Tuesday’s win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

And, while keen to stress no risks will be taking with the fitness of the young forward, head coach Cooper has confirmed he is nearing a return to action.

“The plan for Liam this week was to get him back into the rhythm of travelling with the group, he was not ready to be on the bench or anything like that for this game,” said the Swans boss.

“The last thing we are going to do is rush him, but we are accelerating the process of getting him back in a matchday squad.

“He probably could have played 30 minutes for the under-23s (on Tuesday), but maybe that 30 minutes can be for us in a game maybe on Saturday, or Tuesday, or whenever.

“The quicker we can get him involved the better. I don’t want to go on about it, but we are not blessed with attacking options, so to have Liam on the bench would be a positive thing.”