Britton hails Swans start

Leon Britton revealed his delight as seeing his team-mates get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start - and tipped Swansea City to once again surprise the pundits this season.

The Swans produced an excellent performance at Old Trafford last weekend as they ran out 2-1 winners over Manchester United in Louis van Gaal's first game in charge.

Britton missed the game through injury as the long-serving midfielder continues his recovery from a knee problem sustained in pre-season.

But the 31-year-old was grinning from ear to ear last weekend as he tuned in to watch his team-mates at Old Trafford.

"I watched the game at home and had a few friends over - we were absolutely delighted," said Brits.

"Obviously I would have loved to have been there, but it was fantastic for the team and for the fans that travelled.

"When the fixtures came out it was probably the toughest start we could have had, with the new manager (van Gaal) coming in as well.

"But to go there and win the way we did was special. We controlled the game and United didn't cause us too many problems.

"I'm delighted for the manager and all the staff because they have worked so hard during pre-season to make sure we were ready for the start of the campaign and I think that showed last weekend."

But it wasn't just Louis van Gaal who was making his debut in the dugout at Old Trafford.

Despite taking over the reigns following Michael Laudrup's departure back in February, last Saturday's game saw Garry Monk lead the Swans in his first competitive match since becoming the club's permanent manager.

And Britton reserved special praise for his friend and former team-mate whom he spent ten seasons alongside as a player.

"I'm delighted for him, both as a manager and as a friend," he said. "I've seen how hard he has worked since he came in at the back end of last season and he carried that into pre-season as well.

"A lot of people wrote him - and the team off - and I've seen a few pundits tipping us to go down, but I'm pleased with the start we've made.

"That's another reason for us to prove people wrong, and everyone was still talking about Manchester United after the game instead of how well Swansea had played.

"But we don't mind that, we'll keep going under the radar and doing our thing."

The Swans now turn their attention to the first home game of the campaign as they welcome newly-promoted Burnley to the Liberty.

Sean Dyche's side, runners up in the SkyBet Championship last season, opened their account with a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea on Monday night.

But Britton knows all about being part of a team that has won promotion to the Premier League - and insists the Swans are in for a tough test once again.

"I saw them against Chelsea on Monday night and they worked very hard," he said. "A team that has just been promoted are always going to give everything and we were in that position three years ago.

"When you come up, the players who maybe haven't played at this level before will want to give everything.

"But they have quality as well and these are really tough games.

"We are at home, we want to perform for the fans, but we also need to follow up the performance at Old Trafford and try to pick up some more points."