Renato Sanches may be still in Germany, but his Swansea City days are not yet over, insists Carlos Carvalhal.
The Portuguese pair may be miles apart geographically as the season comes to a climax, but manager Carvalhal says his countryman is still very attached to the idea of helping the club retain their Premier League status before his loan deal ends.
Sanches has not played a Premier League game for the Swans in more than three months and had returned to parent club Bayern Munich to receive treatment for his troublesome hamstring.
The Portugal international was due to return on Tuesday but that has now been pushed back to next week at the earliest.
“He had to do a final scan before he travelled [back from Germany] on Monday,” Carvalhal said ahead of this weekend’s visit of Everton.
“The doctor in Munich said he was better but needed one more week and they will do a new scan, I believe next Monday or Tuesday, and after, if everything is okay, he will travel.
“It is not in our hands, it is in the doctor’s hands at Bayern Munich at the moment. We know the information that we are being given, the reports, so we need to wait. He will be ready to train when he comes back.
“I cannot do anything [about the situation], I must wait. The player is injured, what can we do?
“He cannot come and train like this, he must be healthy. But it’s not a problem, I never miss a player, when we are missing three or four important players but I never say ‘oh, poor Swansea, we miss these players’.
“About the team I am not worried. We have solutions, we will be strong and we will have a good atmosphere on Saturday. We’ll try to be positive and we’ll try to win the three points.”
Sanches has failed to register a single goal or assist in the 12 Premier League matches he has appeared in.
Carvalhal insists Sanches wants to return and aid Swansea’s bid to remain in the Premier League, but admits the 20-year-old has endured a frustrating spell since joining the club on a season-long loan last summer.
“I believe that he can be involved [for us between now and the end of the season] but it all depends on when he starts training, his physical condition, and opportunities also,” the Swansea boss added.
“Andy King is doing very well, Tom Carroll has had two good games, [Sung-Yeung] Ki has dropped a little because he was involved with the national team, but is with full energy again. So it depends on opportunity. But if he comes back to training he can be involved in the last games of course, and we expect that.
“Of course he wants to come back. I talk with him often and he is desperate to play and be training, and of course, to be happy. He is ready to come back to Swansea. He said he was sad earlier this week when he could not come back to Swansea.
“Any player not involved and who is not training is disappointed of course, it is the same for [Leroy] Fer and [Wilfried] Bony, they are in the same condition. That is the same for all the players in the world.”