Britton rejects Swansea coaching role to carry on playing

Leon Britton: Agrees new Swans deal

Swansea midfielder Leon Britton has turned down a role in new manager Carlos Carvalhal’s backroom staff to focus on his playing career for the remainder of the season.

Britton, who was part of the coaching set-up under former boss Paul Clement, was in caretaker charge of the Swans for two matches prior to the appointment of Carvalhal earlier this week.

The new boss on Saturday named his backroom staff, with fellow Portuguese Joao Mario and Bruno Lage joining as coaches and Jhony Conceicao and Paulo Sampaio accepting roles as analysts.

But Britton, who became a player-assistant coach on November 13, has chosen not to continue coaching for the time being.

“In fairness to the manager and chairman, they offered me the opportunity to stay as part of the new coaching set-up,” the 35-year-old said on the club’s website.

“They left the decision entirely down to me, and I had to decide whether I wanted to be a coach or a player.

“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.”