Swansea City boss Steve Cooper opens up on competition for places as Andre Ayew and teammates battle it out

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper has opened up on competitions for places at the club as Andre Ayew and teammates battle it out in their quest for Premier League promotion.

The Swans are currently 3rd on the league table and are on course to make a return to the elite division for the first time since 2018.

On Saturday, Ayew, Swansea's second top scorer in all competitions so far this season, was left on the bench as the Jack Army thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-1 in the FA Cup.

“I think any of the boys not in the starting line-up or not in the squad, they are always fighting,” said Cooper ahead of Wednesday’s league tie with Brentford, as reported by his club's official website.

“It’s the same for the boys in the team and the squad, they are fighting to stay in there.

“It’s not just in the forward positions, where we have signed Jordan [Morris], we have a number of good players that, if they are not starting in one game, are more than capable of starting and being involved in the next one.

"You just look at the weekend with Wayne Routledge and Liam Cullen played, and we also have Andre and Jamal [Lowe] in addition to Jordan.

“We have options, and I think that is healthy, especially with this schedule as you are probably going to need more than the normal-sized core of players.

“The more strength in depth we can have the better, competition for places is a good thing and we feel we have that in a number of positions.”

Steve Cooper's side head into Wednesday’s clash with Brentford on a seven-match unbeaten run, and having gone 10 games without defeat at the Liberty.

Ayew has been one of Swansea City's best performers this season, having registered scored eight goals in 23 appearances the Premier League.