Steve Cooper has suggested that forgotten record signing Borja Baston could yet have a future at Swansea City.
The striker, who remains up for sale this summer, was handed a rare run-out during the Swans' City on Saturday, his first senior appearances for the club since May 2017.
The game itself saw Bersant Celina's brace help the Swans to a comfortable victory, but Baston's appearance 14 minutes from time was nevertheless a big talking point in Devon, sparking fresh questions over his long-term future in South Wales.
The club have made little secret of their desire to sell Baston in this window, but Cooper insists the 26-year-old is not being treated any differently.
"As I've said before, he's been with us for a few weeks and we're preparing all the players to get ready for the season," he said.
"It [being involved] was part of his plan and part of the squad's plan, so we can get everybody ready for the start of the season and be as competitive as possible.
"I think the chairman has said that publicly [the club would like to sell him], but until such time that that bridge is there to be crossed, we're going to work with him."
Baston has previously spent the last two seasons out on loan, and a departure from the Liberty Stadium in this window is still likely, but Cooper insists he's pleased with the effort of the Spaniard this summer.
Asked whether he felt the striker had shown any indication of not wanting to be involved, Cooper added: "No. All of the boys I have to say in general have been really committed to what we're setting out to do this year, whether it's on the training pitch or whether it's around the training ground or on match days.
"The enthusiasm and the intensity of our work has been exactly what we wanted it to be and that's everybody.
"That's really important because we don't want to be one of those teams that just turn up on a match day and expect to turn it on.
"We want our performances to be as a result of how we play and how we work day in, day out, so we'll continue to do that."
