Sheffield Wednesday captain Glenn Loovens says Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal can count on a warm welcome back.

Carvalhal was sacked by Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve hours after fans called for his head during a home defeat by Middlesbrough.

However, club captain Loovens says Carvalhal should be remembered for transforming a mid-table team into one that embarked on consecutive play-off campaigns.

Ahead of today's FA Cup tie, he said: "We had a lot of injuries, we didn't contribute as well, the results were not there and unfortunately for him it was time for him to move on.

"But when he came in we had two great seasons with him with near-miss promotions. I think he gave the club a little bit of belief back. OK, this year didn't work out the way it was supposed to but that's football at times.

"No one will say a bad word about him here because he did a good job and got along with all of us. He brought in most players, he extended most players' contracts so everyone owes him a lot.

"He got the respect from everybody and I wish him all the best because he did a great job. I texted him to say it would be nice if we were to see each other in the Cup and then we picked them out. It'll be nice to catch up with him."