Swansea City striker Borja Baston has been promised he will get another chance to prove he’s not a £15.5m flop.
The Spaniard was the Swans’ record signing when he moved from Atletico Madrid last summer but he has scored just one goal all season.
His failure to make an impact has raised suggestions the 24-year-old could be shipped back to Spain at the end of the season.
But Swansea head coach Paul Clement – who has so far only given Borja 32 minutes of action off the bench since he took charge at the start of the year – has insisted the player who hit 18 goals on loan with Eibar in La Liga last season will not be frozen out.
Clement said: “We don’t have that big a squad so Borja will get to play his part in the remaining matches.
“There is no thought yet about next season, so everyone needs to push hard and be ready.
“It’s true that the transition has been hard for him. He had to adapt to a different language and a new style of football.
“But he did well last year, so we need to help him and make sure that he becomes confident again and starts scoring goals again.”
Borja was an unused substitute at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where the Swans lost 3-1 to Premier League leaders Chelsea.
He started his career at Atletico but was sent on loan to five Spanish sides before his move to the Liberty Stadium in August.
While Borja has flat-lined in the Premier League, his fellow Spaniard Fernando Llorente has thrived and his header against Chelsea was his ninth goal of the season – all coming in his last 19 matches.
That kind of strike rate had Chelsea manager Antonio Conte keen to re-unite with the player he had at Juventus and a moved looked on early in the January transfer window.
Conte wanted the 32-year-old former Spain international as back-up to Diego Costa.
Clement added: “I wasn’t always confident we’d keep him, but I’m certainly glad we have.
“We didn’t have to fight to keep him. We had some discussions and, in the end, the move didn’t happen. He’s still very pleased to be with us.
“He’s very motivated at the club; he’s pleased to still be with us and I’m pleased he is.
“He’s a key player for us, and will be a big help for us in the run-in.”
