---
title: "Swansea City: Aldo Kalulu not far away from return to fitness, says Steve Cooper"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/swansea-city-aldo-kalulu-not-far-away-from-return-to-fitness-says-steve-cooper/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Swansea City News"
published: "2019-10-26T06:35:22Z"
modified: "2020-04-06T12:22:51Z"
---

# Swansea City: Aldo Kalulu not far away from return to fitness, says Steve Cooper

**Swansea’s on-loan winger Aldo Kalulu is closing in on a return to full fitness, according to his manager Steve Cooper.**

[Wales Online](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/swansea-city-press-conference-live-17144825) reported quotes from Cooper in his press briefing ahead of the game against Cardiff on Sunday in which he indicated that the 23-year-old is “not too far away” from being available for selection.

The Swansea manager said: “Aldo is still getting closer. He’s not too far away from getting back on the grass. It’ll be great to have him back. He didn’t have a chance to establish himself. There’s a few bumps and bruises and things to sort but we’re OK.” \[[via Wales Online](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/swansea-city-press-conference-live-17144825)\]

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

Kalulu, who joined on loan for the season from FC Basel in early August (as per [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49228499)), has barely featured for Swansea due to an ankle injury sustained within a fortnight of him coming to the club.

He lasted [68 minutes on his debut against Derby](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aldo-kalulu/leistungsdaten/spieler/292822) before being [withdrawn because of a knock](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/full-extent-aldo-kalulus-injury-17105189) and then [came off injured at half-time](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/full-extent-aldo-kalulus-injury-17105189) in the mid-August win over Preston, [since which he has been out of action](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aldo-kalulu/leistungsdaten/spieler/292822).

Cooper recently set a targeted return date of November 2nd for the winger, according to [Wales Online](https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/full-extent-aldo-kalulus-injury-17105189), and even then he could have a battle on his hands to get into the team.

Prior to the midweek defeat at Brentford, in which he [came on as a half-time substitute](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/3219845), Bersant Celina had started [eight out of nine Championship games on the left wing](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/bersant-celina/leistungsdaten/spieler/229695), [where Kalulu had featured](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aldo-kalulu/leistungsdaten/spieler/292822) earlier in the campaign.

The Kosovo international has played two key passes per game this season, second only to Matt Grimes’ 2.1 in the Swansea squad, and has had a 79% passing accuracy rate, in addition to averaging 1.8 shots per match. \[[via WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/259/Show/Wales-Swansea)\]

Kalulu managed just one key pass and no shots in his two appearances earlier this season and had not been particularly impressive in the game against Preston, finding a team-mate with only two of his five passes. \[[via WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/289111/MatchStatistics/Aldo-Kalulu)\]

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

It would be incredibly harsh to dismiss a player’s chances of succeeding at a club after only two appearances, but with Celina being [consistently selected by Cooper despite failing to score since August](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/bersant-celina/leistungsdaten/spieler/229695), Kalulu isn’t likely to walk straight back into the team once he is fit to feature.

Therefore, whenever he returns to the pitch, he will probably need to make a telling impact if he is to force his way back into Cooper’s first choice XI and claim the left wing role as his own.

***Swansea fans, do you think Kalulu can bounce back from his injury to play a key role this season? Share your views in the comments section below!***