Liam Walsh getting closer to Swansea City return

Swansea City midfielder Liam Walsh is close to a return to full training and is the only injury absentee for Sunday's Emirates FA Cup third-round tie against Bristol City.

The midfielder, who has been recovering from a Achilles injury is close to being back with the group as he continues to make good progress.

Morgan Whittaker is also unavailable as he is cup tied after featuring for loan-club Plymouth Argyle in a 5-1 defeat to Grimsby Town earlier in the competition.

“Walshy’s very close to being on the training pitch,” said head coach Russell Martin.

“He’s training every day, doing his rehab and he’s looking really good which is great for us.

“We’re really excited to have him back. We’ll have to be patient because of how long he’s been out but we’re hoping we can get him back with the group next week, which will be a huge step for him.”

Martin also confirmed that Jay Fulton and Joe Allen, both of whom were withdrawn midway through the second half against Burnley on Monday, are in contention.

“We had to take Joe and Jay off. Three games in six days was a big ask and, even though they weren’t involved in every minute, they both felt a bit tight,” he added.

“For Joe, especially considering the energy he gave in the first half, it's not a surprise that he felt tight. He hasn’t had 90 minutes yet, so we’re just building him up to get to that point.”