Swansea City

Leon Britton turns down Swansea City coaching role

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 30 December 2017

Leon Britton turns down the offer of a coaching role at Swansea City under new manager Carlos Carvalhal in order to concentrate on playing.

Leon Britton has turned down the offer of a coaching role at Swansea City in order to concentrate on playing.

The 35-year-old was in caretaker charge for the matches against Crystal Palace and Liverpool prior to the appointment of Carlos Carvalhal.

The Portuguese, formerly in charge of Sheffield Wednesday, has appointed Joao Mario and Bruno Lage as coaches, while Jhony Conceicao and Paulo Sampaio join as analysts.

"They left the decision down to me, and I had to decide whether I wanted to be a coach or a player," Britton told BBC Sport.

"I thought long and hard about it and while I enjoyed the coaching experience and learnt a lot in a short space of time, I still feel I can have a positive impact on the pitch as a player.

"I think that will be more beneficial to the club at this stage of the season. I am not ready to retire as a player yet, so I will review things again at the end of the season."

Britton, who joined the Swans coaching setup under Paul Clement, faces a week of rehab following a calf injury and is expected to rejoin training after the FA Cup tie at Wolves on January 6.