England Under-17 coach Steve Cooper is a leading candidate to become the next manager of Swansea City, according to BBC Sport.

Swansea have been looking for a new manager since Graham Potter left to join Brighton last month and are in the final stages of the interview process.

Potter was able to guide Swansea to a top-half finish in the Championship last season and helped the team reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

This latest report states that Cooper is on a shortlist alongside the likes of Cameron Toshack, Michael Appleton, Gust Poyet and John Eustace for the role at the Liberty Stadium.

Cooper led an England to the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and has also worked as an academy manager at Liverpool, where he worked with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Verdict

This could be a good appointment for Swansea. Cooper is an experienced coach and has worked alongside some of the country's brightest young talents in the past.

Of course, he has no experience of managing in the Championship, but I'm sure he will feel that he has what it takes and he certainly deserves a chance to prove himself.

Swansea have a good academy and have produced players like the highly-rated Daniel James, so Cooper's experience of working with talented youngsters in the past could prove key.

It could be that Swansea end up going for someone more experience, but Cooper must have seriously impressed them during the interview process to make it to the final stages.