Rob Davies
Swansea City co-owner Jason Levein has poured cold water on suggestions that Kristian Fletcher could stay longer in South Wales than his initial loan period which expires at the end of Janiary.
The American winger, renowned for his pace which is something the Swans sorely lack, has impressed in the U21 setup and scored a hat-trick yesterday as Ipswich’s counterparts were hammered 4-0.
It has led to cries for his inclusion in Michael Duff’s matchday squads as an option from the substitutes bench to offer something a bit different, much like Josh Ginnelly who is now out for the season.
Duff was optimistic about Fletcher’s chances when asked a few weeks ago and it is understood that the player is desperate to make the move permanent when the January window opens.
“We need to see more of him,” he said. “I’ve seen him play a couple of times in the 21s. He’s supposed to have trained with us twice already, but he was injured for a couple of weeks. Then the 21s had Covid, so there’s been circumstances meaning he hasn’t been able to.
“But we want to get eyes on him. He’s come in and he’s settled. He’s a young man coming from a different country. So let him be and let him settle. His performances have been good. The next part is to look at him in a first-team environment. But where he’s come from it doesn’t mean he’s automatically going to get a contract. He has to be good enough. He has to be better than what we got.
“But he’s come in and proved himself to be useful. The next step is to have a look at him with the first team and see where he sits from there. We don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but it’s outside-the-box thinking. The context we’ve got and where he’s come from, it might work. It might not.”
But Levein, who also owns part of DC United where Fletcher is currently on loan from, has said that the player is likely to return to America to further his development under a new manager after Wayne Rooney left his post in October.
He said: “I think it’s fantastic that Kristian is having the success he’s having and the experience he’s having.
“We want him playing first-team soccer or football to get that experience as well. So right now we expect that he’ll be back with D.C. United.
“We’re going to talk to him and both clubs about that, figure out what’s the best path for his development. But I think with a new coach coming into D.C. and new leadership in soccer operations, I think it’s a great opportunity for Kristian.”
Things may change but it seems, for now, that Fletcher may return to the US. And that will not please many fans after a clamour for his inclusion in first team duties.
The player has had trials at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United in recent times, making 13 appearances for DC United and scoring once.
Can’t help thinking we’ve missed a trick here. Surely we could have found a place for him on the bench – Congreve has been there often enough