Ki: I'm a better player now

Ki Sung-Yueng says he has returned to Swansea City as a better player following his loan spell at Sunderland.

The midfielder spent the 2013-14 campaign at the Stadium of Light, scoring four goals in 34 appearances for the Black Cats.

After helping Sunderland avoid relegation from the Premier League, as well as reaching the Capital One Cup final, Ki also played in all three of South Korea's matches at the World Cup in Brazil.

And the 25-year-old insists he is a better player than the one who joined the Swans from Celtic in a then club-record deal of £5.5m back in August 2012.

"Yes, I think so," he said. "It feels like a new start for myself and everything has gone well so far.

"It was tough at Sunderland at first because we had a new manager and the team wasn't right. But as time went by we developed and we survived.

"I have grown up a lot and I have a lot more confidence and experience.

"This is my third season in the Premier League and I want to grow as a player and help improve the team."

The Swans kick-off their fourth season in the top flight on Saturday when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Garry Monk's side will be looking to build on last season's 12th-place finish in the Premier League, in a season that saw a vast number of games with the added pressure of the Europa League.

But Ki believes that the squad is more than capable of aiming for a top-half finish.

"It is a tough league, and every game is difficult," he said. "But our squad is very strong and every player has quality, especially the new signings.

"We want to be better than last season and finish in the top half."