Matos hopes Galbraith will be given summer off
[Getty Images] Swansea City head coach Vitor Matos hopes Ethan Galbraith will be rested by Northern Ireland this summer after a calf injury brought a premature end to his season. Galbraith has enjoyed a fine debut campaign at Swansea, establishing himself as one of the Championship club's key players having joined from Leyton Orient last summer. But the 24-year-old has not played since Northern Ireland's friendly draw with Wales on 31 March.
Galbraith, a midfielder or right-back, played 80 minutes in Cardiff as he made his 51st appearance of the season in what was a low-key game between two sides who had just lost World Cup play-off semi-finals. He complained of a calf issue on his return to Swansea and was duly ruled out for up to eight weeks. Northern Ireland will face France in Lille on 8 June, with a second friendly that month still to be announced.
"I think it doesn't make sense for [Galbraith to play in] the international break, but I leave that for the medical team and the medical team of the national team as well," Matos said. "They need to decide between them what is the best, between both, so that's why you have doctors. "I think it's the best regarding the situation of the injury, but then it's something that they need to speak about and everyone decides what's the best in that case.
" Swansea finish the Championship season with a home game against Charlton Athletic on Saturday (12:30 BST).