Swansea City forward Andre Ayew is in a race to get fit for the Welsh side’s trip to Stoke City this weekend.

The Ghanaian has been out with an ankle injury he picked up against the victory against Norwich City almost four weeks ago.

Manager Francesco Guidolin is waiting for the all-clear from the club’s physios to see whether his side’s second top scorer this season can return to action.

Ayew has been training with the players not on international duty this week, but it is still unclear whether he will be able to feature as Swansea aim to pick up their first win at Stoke since 2001.

Where does he fit in the side?

In Ayew absence, Gambian Modou Barrow has taken his place on the right hand flank and has been one of Swansea’s standout performers since taking up this role.

It would be unfair to drop Barrow in this form, so we could see Ayew lace up his boots on the left wing, a position he is more familiar in from his time at Marseille.

Another option could be to change back to the diamond formation, which Guidolin has preferred at times when Ayew is available. This system doesn’t seem to get the best out of Barrow though as he isn’t physical enough to play up front.

Bafetimbi Gomis was chosen to lead the line against Aston Villa last time out, but with him not impressing it wouldn’t be a shock if Ayew played up front while Gomis and Alberto Paloschi were left out of the starting eleven.

Swansea’s other injury woes

Leon Britton recently revealed that he was playing through injections due to a hereditary foot condition called plantar fasciitis.

The Swansea stalwart said that he needed injections before and after the trip to Bournemouth, and received shockwave treatment on the Friday before the Aston Villa game.

It is the same injury that kept him out of action towards the end of last season, so this is very bad news for Swansea fans.

It wouldn’t be a shock that if Swansea reach the magical 40-point mark, they shut Britton down for the rest of the season in order to ensure he gets the proper treatment for his injury.

Leon Britton is battling a foot injury to keep Swansea in the Premier League (photo: PA)
Leon Britton is battling a foot injury to keep Swansea in the Premier League (photo: PA)

Players returning from international duty

Guidolin might only get one training session with his entire squad, as some members will only be reunited with their teammates on the Friday before the game.

Players such as Korean Ki Sung-Yeung and Barrow, of Gambia could be doubts to face Stoke due to the amount of air miles they will have picked up during this international break.

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About the author
Jack Mceachen
Sports Journalist in Staffordshire University.