Matt Grimes relishing competition for places

Matt Grimes believes the level of competition for places at Swansea City is helping him mature into a stronger player.
Grimes, who has regularly captained England Under-20s, is competing with the likes of England international Jonjo Shelvey, South Korea skipper Ki Sung-Yueng, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jack Cork for places in Garry Monk's midfield plans.
The 20-year-old has made two appearances this season - scoring once - in the Capital One Cup, while he is yet to feature in the Barclays Premier League so far this term.
But Grimes, signed from Exeter City in January, believes the players he faces competition for places are actually helping develop his all-round game.



"I have always wanted to push myself, and now I'm at a level where I'm competing and in the manager's mind when it comes to selection for the forthcoming game," who made three Premier League appearances last season.
"I've not played much yet, but I feel I'm training well every day and I'm in a good place.
"I'm competing with the likes of Jonjo, Jack, Leon, Ki and Gylfi for positions, and they have unbelievable talent.
"When you're pushing for places with quality like that then it can only raise my own levels. I can take lots of positives from it.
"So I'll keep learning and working towards earning myself a place in the team."
Grimes hopes to be part of Monk's plans for Saturday's trip to Aston Villa.
The Swans are without a victory in their last five league games, while Villa currently sit one spot off the bottom of the table.
But Grimes is confident the Swans will soon change their fortunes.
"The standard of training has been second to none," he added. "Despite having a few bad results and performances, it's only a matter of time before our results change.
"We know the quality we have in this squad - it's only a temporary blip that we are going through. We will get through this and show everyone what we can do."

Tickets are still available for the Swans' fixture at Aston Villa. Tickets can be purchased online, in person at the ticket office and via 0844 815 6665.