Renato Sanches has failed to live up to expectations during his loan spell at Swansea City.

The Portuguese midfielder, on loan from Bayern Munich, has started just nine Premier League games at the Liberty Stadium - failing to score or provide an assist - and it’s fair to say that his temporary spell in Wales has been a waste.

What hasn’t helped the 20-year-old is the struggles that Swansea have endured this season.

Paul Clement was sacked as the manager in December and the Swans have been in the relegation zone since November.

What will happen to Sanches, the winner of the 2016 Golden Boy award, upon his return to Bayern in the summer remains to be seen.

Paul Clement: Sanches was 'damaged'

But Clement has painted a rather grim picture of Sanches at Swansea that doesn’t bode well at all.

In an interview with The Times, Carlo Ancelotti’s former assistant said Sanches has struggled to cope with the pressure and this has prompted his poor performances for Swansea.

“When he came, he was far more damaged than I thought,” Clement said. “It was really sad. He was a boy who had almost got the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“In training, when that pressure is not there, he was the best player.

"But then in games, I looked at the choices he was making, shooting from 45 yards on the angle, and he kept making those mistakes.

“He got in a vicious cycle of poor choices. The other players were saying, ‘he's playing like that and you're not picking me’ so it became difficult to pick him.”

Describing the player as “damaged” will certainly alarm Bayern.

According to Clement, Sanches wasn’t overly keen at the thought of joining the Swans - he thought he was going to another one of Europe’s big boys.

“Bayern really supported it,” he added. “They thought he was going to a club who played football, and to a coach who would care and give him the attention he needs.

“He (Sanches) wasn't so keen initially. He thought he was going to go to Manchester United, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern were saying, ‘You're not going there, it would be the same situation, you're not going to play’.”

It will be left to Bayern to pick Sanches up and reinstall the confidence that saw him shine at the 2016 European Championship.