Steve Cooper admits Swansea City may need to tweak their shape during their Championship run-in given their lack of an out-and-out striker.
Attacker Jordan Morris will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the Swans' 4-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town at The John Smith's Stadium.
Late on in Swansea's 1-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest earlier this month, Cooper deployed Andre Ayew in a central role which allowed Jamal Lowe and Morris to operate in wide positions, with Paul Arriola later replacing Lowe.
With fixtures coming thick and fast for Swansea in the coming weeks - particularly when the postponed matches at Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday are taken into account - the first choice front two of Ayew and Lowe will have a significant amount of pressure on their shoulders while fatigue is likely to become an issue.
But Cooper admits the Swans' opponents will largely dictate any potential tactical shifts that may be made over the course of the remainder of the campaign.
"Certain games ask for that in terms of tactical space. We felt that the wide spaces against Nottingham Forest were more open that what maybe other games might be," said the head coach.
"We've got a lot of wide players, not strikers. Jordan was that, Paul is that, truth be told, Jamal and Andre are that as well and we've had to find a formula to try and get the right shape and have the right balance between attacking and defending.
"It just depends what the game offers tactically and what we think is right in terms of changes and maybe trying to get a different impetus on what may be needed."
Morgan Whittaker can operate as a number nine, although Cooper sees the January capture as a player for the future.
It comes as Seattle Sounders confirmed Morris would return to the United States of America to undergo surgery.
The 26-year-old will be operated on by Dr. Bert Mandelbaum in Santa Monica, California.
“First and foremost, we have been in touch with Jordan and he has our full support during this difficult time for him and his family. It’s important to us that he get the best care possible, as well as the most comfortable environment to recover,” said Sounders' general manager and president of soccer Garth Lagerwey.
“Having gone through this before in 2018, seeing Jordan suffer another injury of this nature makes it equally devastating and hopeful.
"We know first-hand the resilience of his character and look forward to the day he steps on the soccer field again. In the meantime, we’re focused on welcoming him home and making sure he has the full support of our club.”
Morris made five appearances for the Swans during his short time in south Wales.
The Swans had the option to make Morris' loan permanent in the summer, although the American is unlikely to return to action until late 2021 at the earliest given the severity of his injury.
