Soccer-Swansea's Sanches could miss Huddersfield clash with thigh strain
Oct 12 (Reuters) - Swansea City's Renato Sanches is a doubt for their Premier League meeting with Huddersfield Town on Saturday after suffering a thigh strain, manager Paul Clement has said.
Portugal international Sanches, who signed for the club on loan from Bayern Munich in the close season, picked up the injury in training during the international break.
Clement said the 20-year-old midfielder was awaiting the results of a second scan but did not expect the injury to rule Sanches out for long.
"We have just got one issue from international duty. Renato Sanches is a big doubt for the weekend," Clement told a news conference on Thursday.
"He picked up a minor thigh strain while training for Portugal which looks like it will rule him out for this weekend," the manager added.
"Disappointing because with each game he has played for us, he has improved, his fitness is improving but it will be a short term injury."
Victory can lift Swansea, who have five points from seven games, out of the relegation zone but they have only one win from their last six games against promoted sides.
"All the games are tough - home or away against the teams at the top or lower down," said Clement. "We feel optimistic our form is going to change."
Huddersfield began the season with two wins but have failed to collect all three points in the next five.
"When a team comes up from the Championship and it's their first experience of Premier League football you can have that excitement and play without fear," Clement said.
"They have had a heavy loss against Tottenham along with some draws. They have plateaued a little bit."
Huddersfield manager David Wagner said Steve Mounie trained with the first team after recovering from a heel injury and did not rule the forward out from Saturday's match.
Wagner said Huddersfield were confident going into the clash despite their poor form.
"Now it is all about Swansea and how we can be successful against them," Wagner told a news conference.
"How can we cause them problems like other sides have done at their home. We have shown - even against Tottenham - we want to win." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
