Alan Curtis insists Jonjo Shelvey remains part of Swansea City's plans despite being dropped from the matchday squad for the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester United on Saturday.
Shelvey fell out of favour towards the end of Garry Monk's Liberty Stadium reign and has failed to regain his first-choice status under caretaker boss Curtis.
The England international formed part of a heavily rotated starting XI in the goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Monday but failed to impress.
Leon Britton's renaissance in recent weeks has not helped Shelvey's cause, while youngster Matt Grimes was preferred for a place on the bench at Old Trafford.
"He [Shelvey] played last Monday. For his standards it was a little bit disappointing," said Curtis, who explained that the 23-year-old's omission was "pure choice".
"We had a good talk about it before we came away.
"He trained this [Saturday] morning, to be fair. There was a group of players that stayed behind and he trained."
With the transfer window now open, some reports suggest former Liverpool player Shelvey is a target for Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, but the temporary boss indicated the club are keen to keep the 23-year-old.
"We need Jonjo, even though we've left him out of the squad," added Curtis. "We need every player and Jonjo has got terrific ability, we all know that.
"He's going to play a huge part, hopefully, in what's going to be a big end of the season for us."
