Marcus Bignot said that Saidou Khan remains a part of Swindon Town’s first-team plans despite rumours of a potential departure for the midfielder.

Khan is the longest-serving player in the current Swindon squad as the midfielder enters his third season at the Nigel Eady County Ground looking to take a step up with other experienced players around him.

As Swindon continue to prepare for the start of their first season under new head coach Mark Kennedy, Khan has not played with the more senior-looking team in either of the last two friendly matches against Southampton under-21s and Eastleigh as Town have started to field something resembling their first choice team.

This has led some to speculate that Khan could be on his way out this summer, the 28-year-old has been previously linked with moves away, including to Wrexham, although as yet nothing has materialised.

When asked about Khan’s role in the squad after the match, Bignot said that he remained in the plans and other reasons had seen him start on the bench at the Silverlake Stadium.

He said: “[Is Khan still part of the plans] Yes. He is here and he is part of it, you have seen that today.

“You saw most of the group get 75 to 90 [minutes] and a second group get 15 and then do a physical load after the game.

“We have got an in-house game tomorrow, so we are balancing minutes up over today and tomorrow with the whole group and he is certainly part of that process.”

Town started with Ollie Clarke and Nnamdi Ofoborh in midfield against Eastleigh alongside Paul Glatzel who has being used in an unfamiliar position for fitness reasons, leaving Khan and Jake Cain on the bench among senior midfielders.

Bignot explained the decision to start Glatzel in midfield, saying: “Pre-season is really difficult and we needed to get minutes into them, so Paul played in a position where we are not really looking to play him.

“It was him doing a job for the team and at the same time, from a physical aspect, getting the minutes into all three of them, because if we went with two then it meant one would miss out.

“That was more of a physical selection rather than a tactical one and what it might look like moving forward or things to come.

“You certainly won’t see that in that way again.”