Swansea manager Steve Cooper has been handed a huge potential boost ahead of the South Wales Derby at the weekend, with Marc Guehi back in training and in contention to play after his recent injury problems.

The on-loan Chelsea man has been integral to Swansea's success in the Championship this season, having made 31 appearances in the second tier, in which he has averaged an impressive 6.94 WhoScored average match rating for his performances.

This ranks him as Swansea's sixth best-performing player of those who have made 10 or more appearances this season, so it is clear that he is a hugely important part of Cooper's side.

Therefore, after missing recent games through injury, including the disappointing 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth in midweek, it is a huge bonus that the England under-21 international is back in contention.

Cooper confirmed earlier this week that Guehi is back in light training and that Swansea 'give him every chance for Saturday', so there definitely seems to be a lot of hope that he could make his return in the derby.

Swansea's defence is one of the big reasons why they are challenging for automatic promotion this season and, whilst their clean sheet record has been tarnished in recent results, they have arguably looked their best with a back three of Guehi, Ben Cabango and Ryan Bennett this season.

Swansea have never done the double over Cardiff City in their history and, after a 2-0 win in the away fixture, the Swans will be hoping that they can rewrite that particular piece of history on Saturday at the Liberty Stadium, so having one of their best defenders potentially back available is undoubtedly a big boost for Cooper.

Last season, the 41-year-old manager was full of praise for Guehi, praising his "outstanding" performance in a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday, so he clearly holds the £5.4m-rated 20-year-old in high regard.

Hopefully, Guehi will be available for selection and can produce a similarly impressive display for the Swans if selected, as they will need to be at their best to beat Mick McCarthy's in-form side on Saturday.