Mark Kennedy said that he has continued to be impressed by the performances of Miguel Freckleton at Swindon Town this season.

Freckleton joined on loan from Sheffield United this summer and has been an ever-present in the line-up this season, although some fans have questioned him of late following mistakes, like against Port Vale, which have led to goals.

However, Kennedy said that he believes Freckleton has been very impressive during his first EFL loan and affirmed the importance of having a left-footed defender like him.

He said: “Left-sided centre halves are gold and if you are in a football club and you are a left-sided centre half then you have the most incredible advantage because everybody is looking for them and there are not many out there.

“We are really lucky to have Migs, he is an outstanding character and defender, his stats as a defender are one of the highest in the league, they are really high-end.

“He is a very young man but he has balls of steel and I am really proud of him as when we played Walsall, he went into his shell and mentally it felt like it was a bit much for him.

“How he has reacted to that has been brilliant and he has shown some really big leadership qualities.”

One player who has seen less pitch time this year has been Harrison Minturn, who has made just one start, but Kennedy said he had been impressed with the youngster.

He said: “He is an incredible pro and has some really strong attributes: incredibly aggressive, good in the air, very quick, very good one-v-one defender, and I like that he has the bravery to play, he is very keen on stepping out.

“I think he has been unlucky when you look at the people who have been ahead of him, I signed Tunmise [Sobowale] as a wing-back but with his qualities as a right-sided centre-half, the system massively suits him.

“When I look at Harrison, he is somebody that I like and actually it is too easy to forget how young he is for the games he has played and when you look at him he looks like a man.

“It can be easy to forget that and I had a chat with him today, I think he has got a big future ahead of him and he is someone who at the end of his career will have lots of games behind him.”