Josh Key says Alan Sheehan deserves credit for turning round Swansea City's form and believes the Irishman is a "very good candidate" to become head coach on a permanent basis.
Swansea look to have secured their Championship status for next season after Wednesday's resounding win over Plymouth Argyle took them beyond the second tier's traditional 50-point safety mark.
The club have spent much of 2025 glancing nervously towards the bottom three, thanks largely to a run of seven defeats in nine league games which led to former boss Luke Williams' departure in February.
Since then, caretaker head coach Sheehan has helped Swansea claim 14 points from eight league games to ease relegation concerns.
Key, a goalscorer in the Plymouth victory, says Swansea's players "want to do well" for Sheehan and have proved as much with recent performances.
"First of all I don't want to slate Luke because he was a great guy and a great coach and I feel like as players we did fail him in some respects," the right-back said.
"But I think what Swansea fans want to see is attacking, forward football, and within that we can keep the ball as well. I think we showed that against Plymouth. We showed the fans what we can be.
"I think Sheesy (Sheehan) has given the players freedom to go and be themselves but with a good structure."
Sheehan joined Swansea in the summer of 2023, around the same time that Key signed from Exeter City.
Initially appointed as assistant head coach to Michael Duff, Sheehan had seven games as caretaker boss last season before reverting to his original role when Williams took over in January 2024.
Having stepped up for a second time two months ago – and then agreed a deal until the end of this season last month - Sheehan is waiting to discover whether he will be offered a long-term contract.
Key says Sheehan has the "respect" of Swansea's players, adding: "I think everyone loves him as a guy and as a coach.
"He has been really brave to do what he's done – it could have been very tough for him after Luke. We weren't doing very well and there was potential for him to make it simple and just try to survive.
"But the teams he has put out and the way he has wanted us to play, I think we have fully gone for it. I think with the recent performances, he deserves a bit of credit."
The Plymouth victory was a fourth since Sheehan took the reins, with only two defeats coming during what has been an encouraging run.
But question marks remain over Sheehan's long-term future with Swansea known to have considered numerous options in the search for Williams' permanent successor.
"It's easy for me to say, but I think it's a good potential [option] for the club to have [Sheehan] ...
