Clement urges patience with 'quality player' Sanches
Swansea City boss Paul Clement insists loan signing Renato Sanches will take time to adapt to the Premier League following an inauspicious debut in Sunday's 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
Sanches, who joined from Bayern Munich on deadline-day, had little influence on the contest as Newcastle claimed a deserved three points courtesy of Jamaal Lascelles' second-half header.
The 20-year-old was replaced by Wilfried Bony in the 69th minute and finished with the lowest passing percentage of any Swans midfielder.
However, Clement is adamant the Euro 2016 star will live up to his lofty reputation.
"He has come to a new club and has new team-mates, a new language, new culture," Clement told the BBC.
"He did things today that were good and some that were not good. He is a quality player."
Will Renato Sanches improve after making his debut for @SwansOfficial? Report here: https://t.co/XLrHn5yyDw pic.twitter.com/RMB2NX6CeI
— Sky Sports PL (@SkySportsPL) September 10, 2017
Clement also defended his team's zonal marking approach at corners after Magpies captain Lascelles met Matt Ritchie's delivery for the winner.
The goal consigned Swansea to back-to-back home defeats for the first time under the former Derby County coach, whose side have also failed to score in three of their four league outings this season.
"Any system can be undone whether it is man-to-man or zonal. Both have strengths and weaknesses," he said.
"[Zonal] worked well for us last season. We have conceded two from corners this season so the details are not right.
"We do not need to change how we defend, just go about our defending in a better way."