SWANSEA HEAD COACH Russell Martin has said Michael Obafemi will be back in the team when he “earns trust back” from teammates, staff and supporters at the club – yet insisted he has no personal issue with the Ireland striker.
Martin also dismissed Ireland head coach Stephen Kenny’s assertion that there “is two or three sides to every story” as to why Obafemi has not been in the Swansea side this month.
The striker, 22, was linked with a deadline day move to Burnley, but the transfer fell through, with the Swansea head coach reported to be unhappy with Obafemi’s reaction.
“He’ll be back in the team when he earns the right to be back in the team, and he’ll be back in the squad when he earns the right to be back in the squad,” Martin said today at a press conference ahead of his side’s game against Hull City tomorrow.
He said the international break could help Obafemi. “He’ll hopefully get some minutes on the pitch and I think that will help him physically and mentally. Sometimes going away on international duty can just give you a break from the norm . . . going way and representing your country can give you a bit of energy, especially when you come back, especially if it goes well. So I hope he goes as well as he did for them in the summer, he was great for them.”
Martin said he was disappointed by Kenny’s comments about Obafemi’s lack of game time in recent weeks.
“I’ve spoken to Michael and like everything else there are two or three sides to every story,” Kenny said this week. “Certainly, Michael wants to play football and wants to play for Swansea.”
Martin said: “I spoke to Stephen before he called him up, so I’m a bit disappointed with those comments. It is what it is. There’s no agenda. He goes away with Ireland, we hope he does brilliantly, and we hope he does brilliantly for us when he comes back, it’s that simple.”
Martin said there was “no personal problem with Michael,” adding, “we get on brilliantly.”
“He just needs to earn the trust back from his teammates and from us a group of staff and the rest of the club and the supporters, the trust that everyone’s shown in him for a very long time. It really is that simple, there’s no three sides to the story,” Martin said.
He added: “All we do is try and help the players as best as we can, try and be the best version of themselves as they can. And that’s not just on the pitch. It can’t be, you play brilliantly, but you can do what you want off the pitch, that’s just not the culture here. It’s about turning up every day, and your teammates knowing what they’re going to get from you.
“Sometimes you need to go the extra yard to regain something that’s gone a little bit, if that makes sense.
“When Michael is the Michael that we know and got to love in the second half of last season, for sure, he helps us, but we need everyone to help us and be ready to help us and that’s it.”
Martin, meanwhile, praised Ryan Manning’s contribution at Swansea and said he was disappointed for the versatile player that he was not called up for the Nations League games.
“Ryan’s been outstanding, I told Stephen my opinion on that when he asked me about the players we have, but it’s Stephen’s squad, he can choose who he wants but I’m disappointed for Ryan, he’s desperate to be involved,” Martin said. “He was really disappointed in the summer to go away and not be involved.
The Swansea boss said Manning had coped well with moving from a role at left centre-half last season to primarily a left back and left wing-back this term.
“We absolutely love working with Ryan. As a character he’s outstanding,” Martin said. “The way he trains. He’s come a long way since he first came into the building. As a professional, as a character in how he conducts himself every day. He’s a big character in the group, always having a laugh and joke, he’s one of the loudest ones you hear. But when he trains he trains with intensity now.”
He added: “I didn’t know much about Ryan when I first came here. I got told a couple of things which weren’t overly complimentary or positive. Not about his character, just about training and stuff like that. I joined in one of the first training sessions we had here and I knew straight away what a brilliant footballer he was, you can just tell.
“I said straight away (to staff), ‘We need to try and find a place for him in the team if we can get him going’. And he’s been outstanding for us since we walked in. So, the long answer is I’m disappointed for him but selfishly a bit pleased for us that he can stay here and train hard and be ready for the next game.”
