IRELAND INTERNATIONAL Ryan Manning looks set to leave Swansea, despite fans and manager Russell Martin hoping he stays.

The 26-year-old wing-back scored his side’s winner against Huddersfield at the weekend but faces an uncertain future with his current contract with the Welsh club due to expire this summer.

Fans at the Swansea.com Stadium chanted ‘Ryan Manning, we want you to stay,’ after the Galway native’s decisive goal and Martin joked to reporters that he joined in the singing.

However, Martin admitted that the prospect of extending the player’s stay at the club was unlikely amid an impressive season that has seen him score five goals in 42 appearances in all competitions.

“I’m not in charge of that side of it,” Martin said of the contract negotiations. “He [Manning] knows how I feel about it and how we as a coaching staff feel about him with how important he’s been for us over the two years or so we’ve been here.

“It’s another lesson to learn, about players going into the last year of their contract.

“I think we’ll learn that lesson. I hope we will. It’s Ryan’s prerogative to not sign currently and I think the club feels we’ve offered a really good contract, which I would agree with.

“Ryan’s had an amazing season, statistically for a left-back he’s been brilliant. I’ll never say never, but at this moment in time, he looks likely to leave.”

Manning is not the only important player who could depart the club this summer, with former Man City youngster Joel Latibeaudiere also in that category.

“It’s (the contract offer for Manning) never been taken off the table, we’ve had a few chats about it. It’s the same with Joel Latibeaudiere, we really need to re-sign Joel.

“I think that’s a simpler one than Ryan because he’s under 24, which obviously means it’s a bit more difficult for other clubs to take him. The big picture with Joel is he’s a leader, with intensity, courage, aggression, and the way he is around the place with the staff, he’s so respectful.

“I really want to re-sign him if we can. It’d be mad to let him go. He played four positions in the game today, he has unbelievable flexibility and it’s been unfair on him that he’s been judged as a wing-back for large parts because we didn’t sign a wing-back.

“We’ve had to put him there because we’ve trusted him, it’s not his position, but he gives us everything. When he’s played centre-half or full-back he’s been outstanding, so we have to try and keep him as well.”

Swansea, who next play promotion-chasing Preston on Wednesday, currently sit 13th in the Championship and are set to miss out on the play-off spots, as they trail sixth-place Blackburn by seven points with four games remaining.

Former Galway United youngster Manning has six caps for Ireland, but has been omitted from recent squads by boss Stephen Kenny, with James McClean, Callum O’Dowda, and Robbie Brady ahead of him in the pecking order.