Leon Britton believes he could still perform in the Championship for Swansea City – but would struggle with the day-to-day rigours of full-time football.
The Swans legend recently came out of retirement to sign for JD Welsh Premier League outfit Llanelli Town until the end of the season.
In an interview with former team-mate Owain Tudur Jones on S4C’s Mwy o Sgorio football series, Britton also revealed that friend Lee Trundle, who plied his trade at Stebonheath Park last season, was a big influence on his decision to sign for the Reds.
Britton said: “I still believe ability-wise, I could still play in the Championship. It’s just more the day-in, day-out of training. Every day was taking its toll on my body and that was a big reason why I retired.
“But with Llanelli, it was a case of wanting to get the boots back on and the fact that we’re not training every day, so it’s a bit less demanding on my body.
“It’s just about getting back out there and wanting to play, really, and so I signed for Llanelli.
“I’d enjoyed my time away from football, but I was itching to play again. Speaking to everyone at the club, what they were offering suited me down to the ground.
“Myself and Trunds are both club ambassadors for Swansea so I work very closely with him, we’re good friends.
“Of course, he had a great impact at the club and I spoke with him and he couldn’t speak highly enough of them. We did talk about potentially coming back together to play in January.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t sign but he couldn’t say anything but good words about the club, so that helped me make my decision.”
Outside of his role as Swans club ambassador, Britton has also become a stakeholder in a new cafe-come-sports academy business in Swansea Bay, called Seven Bar & Kitchen.
But after his spell as caretaker boss last season, the former Swans number seven has refused to rule out a return to coaching one day.
He added: “Finishing in football gives me an opportunity to do other things. [The new business] was the Café 360 before on the front in Swansea Bay.
“The opportunity came up to tender for it and I’ve got good friends who are at the Optimist in Uplands who’ve done really well, so we got together and decided to go for it.
“It’s going to be a café and restaurant, but there will also be a sports side to it, so there’s an academy, which I will be the head of, trying to get young people in Swansea involved in activities and lots of different sporting events.
“It’s a big challenge and completely out of my comfort zone, but something I’m really looking forward to. It’s an exciting venture and an amazing location, and it’s about giving something back to the people that they can be proud of.
“I wanted to use this period away from full time football to try and evaluate my situation and decide what I want to do.
“Coaching is something I did enjoy. I had two months under Paul Clement as a coach and two games as caretaker manager, and I think it’s something I will want to get back into.
“When you’ve been involved in football for such a long time, day-in, day-out, you do miss it when you’re out of it. You miss the buzz of matches on the weekend too, so coaching is something I’d like to do.
“I’ve got other outside interests that keep me busy, but in the next few months I’ll have to sit down and really think of what direction I want my life to go, really.”
To watch the full interview between Leon Britton and Owain Tudur Jones, watch Mwy o Sgorio on S4C at 6.30pm on Wednesday, or 11pm on Thursday night, or watch the episode on the S4C Clic Player.
