SWANSEA City youth boss Tony Pennock reckons "incredible athlete" Daniel Alfei has a great chance of making a mark as a senior pro.

Former youth-team skipper Alfei made an impressive debut for Brendan Rodgers's men in last Saturday's FA Cup win over Colchester.

And Pennock reckons the 18-year-old local lad has the ability required to build on his fine start.

"Daniel has worked his way through and it's nice for everyone working in the youth department that Brendan has given him a chance," he said.

"It's great that Daniel has taken that opportunity. Over his two years in the youth team he improved all the time.

"As a younger player, if there was one part of his game he needed to work on it was ball retention.

"But as he got through his second year with us he became a lot more comfortable on the ball and that has improved again now because he is training with quicker, better players in the first team.

"Now, as a right-back, he has a great opportunity given the way we play football.

"He is a decent size for a full-back and he is an incredible athlete. He has got fitter and stronger and he will get up and down the flank all day long."

Alfei is the fifth youth product to make a first-team appearance since Pennock took charge in the summer of 2008, following Jazz Richards, David Cornell, Joe Walsh and Casey Thomas, while Lee Lucas and Jamie Grimes have made the bench.

"It was a bitter-sweet day for the youth department last Saturday because of the injury to Frazer Clark in our youth-team game," Pennock added.

"But as a department we couldn't have asked for much more in the last couple of years and all credit goes to all the coaches who have worked with these lads.

"Our job is not to win our league or the Welsh Cup. Yes we would like to do that, but that's not why the club put money into the youth department.

"They do that so that we can produce young players who can do a job for Brendan in the first team."

Pennock is hopeful that there are more potential senior stars in the youth ranks — and has urged all Swansea's youngsters to follow the lead of those players who have made the step up already.

"All five boys who have played for the first team have been the ones who worked hardest with us," he said. "That tells a story, and the importance of hard work is something we preach all the time."