The 48-year-old Dane has been subject to speculation after an impressive debut season managing in the Premier League and his players have wasted no time in praising their coach
Swansea City attacker Pablo Hernandez insists the side are relishing having Michael Laudrup as their coach, and it is only normal for big teams to want a manager of his standard.
The Spaniard joined the Swans last summer after having been signed by Laudrup for a club record fee, and in the lead up to the Capital One Cup final this weekend, he was quick to praise his manager, and hopes the Dane will stay for some time.
“Yeah it’s normal,” Hernandez said of speculation on Laudrup’s future. “He’s a good manager, big teams want Michael.
“I think it’s good for the players, to have a manager who was a big player in Spanish league, Italian league, Denmark national team because Laudrup always gives a lot of confidence to the players.
“I think there is no rush – we can play this final and it is possible for him to stay here next year and more years after.
“It’s a special day for all, for the players, the club, the fans, the city, me. It’s a nice week and a historical match. To win this match is very important for all.
“I have extra motivation because it’s Wembley. I want it – these matches, these special moments. I want my family to come because these are historical moments. These finals will always be remembered in the future.”
Hernandez is not alone in wanting the boss to stay for longer, with captain Ashley s stating that managerial departures are not a good situation.
“It’s not ideal to lose your manager every year or every two years,” s stated. “We’d like to keep this one for a while longer.”
The players have warmed to the Dane’s style of play which sees flowing, attacking football at the forefront. However, Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel believes that Laudrup and former manager Brendan Rodgers are different in their approach.
“He’s not the same like Brendan is,” Tremmel said.
“For Brendan it’s really important to have a goalkeeper who’s good with his feet, with distribution and everything, but [Laudrup] is not really – he’s not really said a word about what is so important for him, he’s just tried to work with players which are at the club and tried to get the best out of them.
Nathan Dyer has also been outward in his praise of Laudrup’s man-to-man management, claiming his experience as a player gives the team the confidence they need to get the job done.
“He’s won everything so he can tell us, how to approach things, how to start,” Dyer said.
“Make us see that we deserve to be here. That’s the key thing is to make sure that the player knows he’s got the backing from the manager and the confidence to go into that game shines out.”