Swansea City may be the envy of Man Utd for one clear reason | OneFootball

Manchester United will be looking at one particular area of Swansea City's squad with much regret

Swansea City have become the beneficiaries of an ill-fated Manchester United decision - although perhaps they were not to possibly know the player that Ethan Galbraith was to turn into.

The Swans have carried on their promising form from last season into the new campaign, with rookie head coach Alan Sheehan impressing greatly in what is just the 39-year-old’s maiden role as a permanent first-team manager.

Recently, the Welsh side came from two goals behind to beat Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup, highlighting the spirit and unity within their camp.

Swansea made a number of positive additions during the summer window as they look to build on their 11th-place finish from last term.

These included Adam Idah, Manuel Benson and Cameron Burgess, who all add unique qualities to different areas of the Swans’ squad.

Another capture they completed was that of Ethan Galbraith, who is already looking to be an excellent piece of business.

Ethan Galbraith’s performances could hand Manchester United major regret

Galbraith joined Swansea from Leyton Orient in the summer, after the 24-year-old played a large role in helping the O’s reach the League One play-off final last season.

Scoring six goals and eight assists in all competitions is a decent return, made even better by the fact that these statistics were achieved primarily from right-back.

The Northern Irishman has already become a crucial component of the Swans’ squad, starting every league game thus far alongside two of the Welsh side’s three League Cup ties.

Highlight performances have come against Watford and Crawley Town, with Galbraith earning his first goal and assist for Swansea in these clashes.

In Swansea’s 3-2 triumph over Nottingham Forest, the 24-year-old excelled from a central midfield role, controlling the play whilst making eye-catching runs through the middle of the park.

Manchester United will watch such performances with huge regret, after they released Galbraith from their academy in 2023.

Since then, he has developed massively into a tremendously capable midfielder, whilst the Red Devils continually struggle in the engine room.

A struggling start to the 2025/26 campaign signifies that this may be the third year of regression at Old Trafford, with an inconstant and unstable midfield a huge reason for that.

Galbraith’s fluidity and flexibility would’ve been of much use to United during this time, with their decision to release him ultimately a poor one.

They now have to watch on with regret as he continues to impress on a regular basis, whilst they slip further and further away from competing at the sharp end of the Premier League.

Ethan Galbraith could inflict more pain on Manchester United in the future

If Galbraith keeps performing at the consistently high level he currently is, interest in his services may soon arise in the top-flight of English football.

Versatility is a huge attribute Premier League clubs look for when buying players these days, which happens to be one of the Northern Irishman’s key strengths.

He can comfortably operate at full-back, holding midfield, the engine room, or in a No.10 role, which makes securing his signature an even more enticing prospect for managers.

If Galbraith can eventually feature regularly in the Premier League, Manchester United may feel further regret that they let such a quality talent slip through their grasp, just when they needed a player of his ilk the most.