Britton eyes possible Swansea swansong at Wembley

Leon Britton has owned up to an uncertain Swansea future as he targets what could prove to be a Wembley swansong.

Veteran midfielder Britton made his first appearance in four months in coming off the bench for the final 10 minutes of Swansea’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round replay win over Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.

It was only Britton’s fifth game of an injury-hit season, which will see the 35-year-old fail to trigger a one-year contract extension by making 20 appearances.

“Obviously I am thinking about what is going to happen because I won’t reach the amount of games I needed to,” said Britton, who has made more than 520 Swansea appearances since making his debut over 15 years ago.

“I have to decide what direction I want to go in, whether I carry on playing – at Swansea or elsewhere – or retire at the end of the season.

“I would like to play because I still feel I have something to offer, I have the ability and legs to do that.

“But there are a lot of questions I need to think about and I will speak to the club.

“I don’t want to leave it until May and then decide. I want to get an idea before then what’s going to happen.”

Britton joined Paul Clement’s coaching staff in November after Claude Makelele left the Premier League club.

But Clement’s dismissal the following month with Swansea deep in relegation trouble saw Britton leave the coaching set-up under Carlos Carvalhal.

“It has been tough and frustrating,” Britton said.

“When I became player-coach I was fit and I wasn’t selected for the squad for a while.

“Then I picked up an injury pretty much when Carlos came in, and I have been trying to get back from this pelvis and groin problem.

“I want to get out there as much as I can with time running out on my Swans’ career.

“I want to play as much as I can and hopefully between now and the end of the season I can stay fit.”

Britton was a member of the Swansea side which won the League Cup in 2013 – the club’s first major honour.

And, after an unspectacular FA Cup adventure which has brought replay wins over Wolves, Notts County and Wednesday, he sees similarities between the two cup runs.

“I don’t think we have set the world alight in the cup, but I remember we beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at home in the League Cup and it was a similar thing,” Britton said.

“We just got the job done and let’s hope it’s a similar outcome.

“Winning the League Cup was a great day for everyone involved – the players and the fans – and now we are in our first FA Cup quarter-final since 1964.

“To do it in the FA Cup would be extra special and, if it was to be my last season, a day at Wembley in May would be something dreams are made of.”