Swansea City manager Paul Clement is hoping that defender Kyle Bartley’s injury is not as serious as it looked.
Bartley had to be taken off the pitch in a stretcher in the Swans’ 4-1 win over MK Dons in the English League Cup second round tie and is scheduled for scans on his knee.
“I thought it could be a bad one at the start, but maybe it’s not as bad as we thought,” Clement said.
“He’s going to have some time out but it’s difficult to say how long at this point.”
Signed from Arsenal back in 2012, Bartley spent last season on loan in the Championship with Leeds United. An impressive year at Elland Road paid its dividends as the 26-year-old featured in all three of Swansea’s games this season.
The Welsh club’s have had some of the worst luck when it comes to injuries this season, with star striker Fernando Llorente ruled out for a few weeks before a even ball was kicked in the Premier League.
The Spaniard broke his arm in a cycling accident during pre-season, forcing him to miss all of Swansea’s matches so far.
“We’ll leave the decision as late as possible,” Clement added, when quizzed whether Llorente could play against Crystal Palace this weekend.
“I would say it’s 60-40 against playing but I’m still hopeful, we’ll see, give him as much time as possible.”
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