“The same goes for Kevin as well, I’m confident he does not want to leave. What we have in this group are players that have shown a great desire to right a few wrongs. The players have made a commitment to wanting to get this club out of this division and they want to see it through now.
“They have done very well but now it is up to them to show that throughout the season. We have had predominantly good experiences so far this season but maybe there will be different experiences up to Christmas, after Christmas and after the window.
“We have to be able to come through whatever is thrown at us and the experience of players like Kevin will help us.” More pressingly for Hughton, he is pondering whether to add Fabrice Pancrate and Shola Ameobi to the squad to face fourth-placed Swansea tomorrow. French winger Pancrate has shown
enough in training to warrant consideration and would help United force matters further up the field.
“Fabrice is a player of vast experience. We knew that when he came into the squad he would hit the ground running – he’s got experience at a very good level,” he said.
“He’s hit it off very well with the players in the squad. He’s ready to go as far as I’m concerned. He’s probably not played the amount of games that we would have liked him to or that he would have liked to but he’s fit and he’s been training since the summer.
“He didn’t look short during the reserve game last week, so as far as I’m concerned he is available.”
Ameobi could also earn a place in the squad after training all week although Hughton is understandably cautious about the striker after three months out with a broken foot. “Shola trained this week but we have to mindful of the fact he’s been out for a while,” he said.
“If it was one that was forced upon us with the numbers we’ve got it might be one that we’ll take a chance on.
“We’re not ruling him out of playing some part in the squad on Saturday but the likelihood is that it’ll be the Watford game.”
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