Swansea striker Oli McBurnie reveals how Graham Potter has revitalised the Swans

Oli McBurnie says the manager's attitude has kept players going since his arrival at the club

Potter has Swansea in form in the Championship (REUTERS)

Oli McBurnie says manager Graham Potter is the reason behind Swansea’s tenacious attitude so far this season, inspiring them to a memorable comeback at Millwall on Saturday.

The Swans came from behind despite being a man down for most of the game, with McBurnie slotting home the winner with five minutes left to win 2-1.

It’s no mean feat walking away from the Den with points at all, the Welsh side becoming just the second team to take all three from a trip to Millwall since November last year.

McBurnie has been on hot form so far this season, bagging four goals in six league games. Speaking to the The Independent, the striker explained how Potter has helped nurture both the team, and him personally, lifting them through a tough start to the campaign after their fall from the Premier League.

“He just fills us with confidence, and tells us how good we are as players,” said the 22-year-old. “It was one of the main things he brought in when he came here. It was all about that attitude, and wanting to play for each other, and work hard for each other.”

Heading back into the Championship, Swansea let go of 12 players in the summer, four of them leaving on transfer deadline day. Potter was left with little hope of funds in return to bolster their ranks, calling on youngsters to plug the gaps.

But the manager shielded his side from the belief that failings in the transfer market would heavily impact their approach, instead working with the quality available, and handing reserve players, like Joe Rodon, their big break. So far, it's worked.

“There’s a lot of talk from outside about transfer windows, and we don’t really take notice of that,” said McBurnie, “He knows the quality the squad have in there. We might not have the experience or the price tag some of the players might do in the Championship, but there’s a lot of quality in there, and not just quality but spirit as well. And I think that’s the main thing. Teams with good spirit have done a lot of things in football.”

Arriving back in 2015, McBurnie’s Swansea career took some time to get going. He spent time on loan at various lower-league sides, most recently at Barnsley earlier this year, where he was named as their fans’ player of the season.

Swansea and McBurnie have started the season well (REUTERS)

But on his return to the Liberty this summer, the Scot was clear that he needed first-team football on a permanent basis, be that at Swansea or somewhere else. In a moment that could’ve seen a huge change in his career, the striker sat down with Potter and was immediately won over by his new boss.

“I spoke to the manager the first day we came back, when it was all a bit up in the air,” said McBurnie, “And he said everything I wanted to hear. He said the way we wanted to play, he said what he wanted to from me, where he saw me fitting in the team and the way he sets his teams out. It was like music to my ears. After that I rang my agent straight after and said ‘let’s sign the deal.’”

After their victory at Millwall, and what McBurnie called a “dream moment” in scoring their winning goal, Swansea are now looking more like a force to be reckoned with. Their manager’s optimistic frame of mind has reacted well with the team so far, and they sit in seventh heading into the international break.

But although the Swans may have been predicted to struggle this year, McBurnie refuses to say this is more of a consolidation season.

“We’re not too far in,” he said, “other people can do that for us, the media can do that for us. That’s not our job, our job is to play football and see where it takes us. That’s what I do, I turn up on a Saturday, play a game and if it goes well, it goes well. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, and we see where we get."