'If Sheehan is better than other options, he deserves job'

Owain Tudur Jones says he hopes Swansea City have "done their homework" by assessing various managerial options before opting to stick with caretaker boss Alan Sheehan.

Former Swansea and Wales midfielder Jones says the work done by Sheehan since he took over on a temporary basis in February cannot be faulted.

With the Swans poised to appoint Sheehan on a long-term basis, Jones says his only "concern" is whether his old club have scoured the market for potential managerial candidates.

"What cannot be questioned is the fact that he (Sheehan) has come in and done a really good job - any manager who has almost a 60% win ratio deserves a lot of credit," Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I think he has put the club in a difficult situation in terms of [it being] very hard not to give him the job.

"Only the club know how deeply they have delved into looking elsewhere and providing different options. That's the only thing I would question, have they done their homework in terms of looking?

"Then if Alan Sheehan has ended up being better than all of those people, then of course he deserves the job."

Swansea had relegation concerns when Luke Williams departed after a run of seven defeats in nine matches in February.

But Sheehan has helped the Welsh club take 23 points from his 12 games in charge to pull clear of danger with something to spare.

With one game to play in 2024-25, against Oxford United on Saturday, Swansea are guaranteed a top-half finish and could end up in the top ten.

"At least he has given hope and the fans a bit of excitement towards the end of the season and building up to what hopefully will be a more consistent year next year," Jones added.

"He would have changed the style of play a little bit, going more direct. Not in terms of long passing, just getting the ball up the field a little bit quicker with those passes, getting more entries into the box, injecting a little bit more pace to the play.

"It's worked, there's no two ways about it, and the players seem to be enjoying playing under him, which counts for a lot as well."