Swansea City head coach Russell Martin hopes Tivonge Rushesha can bounce back and recover from a cruel injury setback after an impressive season for the Championship side’s Under-23s.
Zimbabwe-born Rushesha had skippered the development side over much of the 2021-22 campaign, and caught the eye in the middle centre-back role with his confidence and poise with the ball at his feet, winning the club’s under-23s’ player of the season award.
His form came on the back of a long spell out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and, unfortunately, the defender has now suffered the same injury to his other knee and is facing another prolonged period on the sidelines.
Swansea head coach Martin had been among those to have spoken highly of Rushesha’s performances for Kris O’Leary’s side.
And he hopes the player – who made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old against Cambridge United in 2019 – can show the same resilience to return and show his undoubted talent.
“Sadly, Tiv has done his cruciate again, on the other knee,” the Swans boss.
“It’s so unlucky. He came back brilliantly from the other one, he now needs to digest it, he’s been really upset, obviously.
“He’s had the operation, and hopefully he’s on the mend. It’s just about us getting him in a good place mentally and physically, and just taking his time to get back and making sure he’s right.”
Rushesha, who is now expected to be out of action for the remainder of 2022, is contracted to Swansea City until the end of next season after putting pen to paper on a one-year extension during his first injury setback last year.
He signed his first professional contract in January 2020 having risen through the ranks at the club.
Although Rushesha has played youth football with Wales’ national age-group teams, he has previously declared his desire to be part of the Warriors in the future.