Ronald Koeman content with decision to let Jack Cork join Swansea
Jack Cork's fine form could see the Swansea midfielder receive a maiden England call-up next week, but Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has no regrets about letting him go earlier this year.
A graduate of Chelsea's academy, the 26-year-old ended a string of loans by making a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge in 2011.
Cork went on to play a key role in Southampton's promotion that season and helped the club establish themselves as a Premier League force, before deciding to move on in January.
Frustrated at a lack of regular first-team football and with his contract running down, the midfielder plumped for a move to the Liberty Stadium on a three-and-a-half year deal.
It has proved a shrewd move and Roy Hodgson has been so impressed that Cork could now be handed his first Three Lions call-up, not that Saints boss Koeman regrets allowing him to leave.
"No, I think Jack is doing well," he said. "He looks that he is winning the competition with the rest of the midfield players in Swansea.
"We know his quality, he's an experienced player, a very good professional, but the time he choose to leave the club he wasn't first choice on the midfield.
"We have a lot of good midfield players, we spoke about it and finally he took the decision to leave the club. He's doing well and that's very positive for him."
Cork returns to St Mary's after being rested against Hull in midweek, when the 2013 Capital One Cup winners crashed out at the third-round stage.
Saints, by contrast, won 6-0 on their trip to Championship opposition, but now need to replicate the form shown against MK Dons in the league.
Koeman's men have secured just one Premier League victory this season and fizzled out after a fine start against Manchester United last weekend, ending up 3-2 losers.
Left-back Ryan Bertrand could make his first start of the season having shaken off a knee complaint and Graziano Pelle is in line to return from a foot problem.
Swans boss Garry Monk declared himself bemused by some of the negativity surrounding the club's form.
Swansea have gone nearly 300 minutes without scoring since Bafetimbi Gomis' winner against Manchester United at the end of August, drawing successive Premier League blanks against Watford and Everton before suffering a shock Capital One Cup defeat to Championship club Hull in midweek.
But Monk insists his side, seventh in the Premier League table, have been playing well ahead of Saturday's trip to his former club Southampton.
"The way I am getting asked things is as if we are reaching for the panic button or something," Monk said.
"We have only lost one game in the Premier League, let's not forget that.
"You can include pre-season as well if you like, and that's another five games without defeat.
"So in terms of confidence and focus you can see it's there.
"I think these questions (about Swansea's form) stem from the Watford performance, which we were disappointed with and didn't see coming.
"But the nature of this sport is that you get setbacks. What is important is you react to them well and we did that against Everton to get a good point."
Swansea have no injury concerns among their first-team squad having made 10 changes for the trip to Hull.
Source: PAR
