Phil SumblerEthan Laird is a player with a bright future ahead of him. It may be relatively early days in his overall career and even earlier days in his time at Swansea City but there is a sense of anticipation when he gets the ball and his value to the team that Russell Martin is building is clear for everyone to see.
Laird has not just a habit of making the run that creates the space the team desires but his team mates are now getting used to knowing what he is about to do. Watch the way Ryan Bennett freed him into space on Saturday and it was an instinctive pass knowing that the pace of Laird would do the rest of the work. The pass that set up Bidwell was as simple as it needed to be and the Swans had an early goal.
Cast your mind back two weeks and to the third goal in the destruction of Cardiff and you have someone who chased what could easily have been written off as a lost cause and just seconds later Bidwell was heading into an empty net. This is a player who sees the game unfolding in front of him and can exploit it.
He should have had a penalty on Saturday, he should have had one against Cardiff. This is a player who is making things happen for the club and 8 goals in 3 home games say it all. Especially when you cast your mind back to how many of those 8 goals Laird has been directly involved in.
Laird is proving to be an inspired signing by Russell Martin. Again. The manager of course knows all about him following his time at MK Dons last season and he saw a need to keep working with the player when he moved to South Wales. Forget all the requirements of Man United that Swansea City ticked boxes for this is as much as them being fully aware that the manager would aid the players development as much as anything else.
Laird is destined for a big future ahead of him and he has that gritty determination about him that will make it happen.
“It’s a great learning opportunity for me. Under 23 football is competitive too but playing first-team football is a different challenge. You are playing against established professionals and I’ve learned a lot from that,” said Laird.
“I’m loving my time on loan at this moment. It’s a step on my journey that is needed. I have lots of dreams and aspirations.
“Of course, I want to be a Manchester United player but I have to work towards that step by step and that’s what I’m aiming to do now in every training session and in every match.
“I’m loving it and I cannot wait to learn even more during my time here.”
Swansea have never been afraid to use the loan market and in Laird they have another quality player to follow the recent likes of Marc Guehi, Rhian Brewster, Freddie Woodman and Conor Gallagher – all of whom have gone on to play Premier League football within short times of their loan spells in South West Wales.
Laird is another one who will follow that path. Whether that is with his parent club or elsewhere remains to be seen but he is a Premier League footballer plying his trade with Swansea City. We need to appreciate him whilst he is here and enjoy any journey that he may take us on.
Seems like a really pleasant young man who is currently enjoying his football.