Britton's having to prove himself all over again

Leon Britton believes he has to prove himself all over again at Swansea City as he looks to earn a starting role in Garry Monk's first-team plans.
Britton only has three minutes of action under his belt this season following a knee injury which sidelined him for the opening three months of the campaign.
The fan-favourite made his return to the side earlier this month as he replaced Tom Carroll in the latter stages of the 2-1 win over Arsenal.
And with the likes of Carroll, Ki Sung-Yueng, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jonjo Shelvey all impressing this season, Britton accepts that he faces strong competition for a place in midfield.
"It has been a frustrating few months because of the injury. It was the longest time I'd been injured for during my professional career," said Britton. "But I've been training for the last three weeks and I managed to get on against Arsenal, so I'm champing at the bit to get back into the team.
"The team has done brilliantly in the time I was out injured. The midfielders have really performed, so from my point of view it's going to be very difficult to get back into the team.
"I've got to earn the right of getting into the team. There's no room for sentiment - it doesn't matter what I've done at the club in the past. It's about the standards you set and if you fall below that then you know you'll be out of the team.
"If I had been playing in the starting XI and then someone came back from a few months out and strolled straight back into the team when I'd done well, I'd be disappointed.
"So I don't expect to get back into the team straight away. But I am doing everything I can to be playing in every game."



Britton, an unused substitute in last weekend's defeat at defending Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City, hopes to be involved in Monk's plans for Saturday's home clash with Crystal Palace.
And with a busy December fixture list which involves six games, the 32-year-old is keen to play his part and help the Swans build on their promising start to the campaign.
"I've been lucky in my career in that I've played a lot of games, and I know that when you're older you'll have spell out of the team," added Britton.
"But in December there are a lot of games, so hopefully I will have an opportunity to stake my claim for a place in the team. This next month or so will be important for me because I'll be looking to show the manager that I can help the team push on in the league."