Paul Clement has insisted Renato Sanches will win over the doubters and cynics after his flat-lining Swansea City debut.
Swansea manager Clement believes his on-loan Bayern Munich star can quickly move on from his difficult debut in the defeat to Newcastle last Sunday.
Instead of failing to justify the deadline day hype, Clement thinks Sanches will be able to rebuild his career at the Liberty Stadium.
The Portugal midfielder cost Bayern 35 million euros when he joined them from Benfica just over 12 months ago and has a big reputation after being named best young player at Euro 2016.
But the 20-year-old made little impact against Newcastle and gave possession away on numerous occasions before being substituted in the final quarter.
But Clement said: “There was a lot of expectation on him (Sanches) as a new signing, but you cannot judge any player on one game, or in his case 70 minutes.
“I showed a lot of confidence in bringing him here, but he needs to play games and has to work through this period.
“It’s been a difficult year for him because he moved from Benfica to Bayern with a big price tag put on him and a lot of expectation around him after what he did in the Euros.
“It did not work out for him or the club. But he has a future at Bayern and he can help rebuild that future by coming here and playing regularly.
“He can rebuild that confidence by working hard on the training field and getting more opportunities to play.”
Clement said Sanches had to be given time to make the impact he believes he is capable of after working with him when he was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Bayern.
“We all believe in him and think we have a great young talent here,” Clement said. “But he has not played a massive amount of games.
“That is going to affect not only the tactical sharpness in his brain but the physical side as well.
“Give him a little bit of time for him to adapt and he will be on the right track.”
Swansea will seek to bounce back from their Newcastle defeat against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday.
It means a swift reunion with their former striker Fernando Llorente, who joined Spurs on transfer deadline day after finishing top scorer last season with 15 goals.
Llorente made his Spurs debut as a late substitute in the 3-1 Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.
“I have a good relationship with him and I saw him come on against Dortmund,” Clement said.
“It was strange to see him in a Spurs shirt, it was a white kit but not the white of Swansea.
“I look forward to seeing him, but hopefully he will remain on the bench for the game.”
