Thursday 21 December 2017 14:39, UK
Swansea caretaker head coach Leon Britton has ruled himself out of taking the job on a permanent basis.
Britton, who stepped into the role of player-coach under Clement last month after 15 years at the club, has been asked to take charge of the team for the match against Crystal Palace on Saturday while the club looks for a new head coach.
But speaking ahead of the game at the Liberty Stadium, Britton said: "I don't think it is the right time for me to take the job on a permanent basis.
"It is not to say I wouldn't take it in the future but I just think at this moment in time it is not the right move for me to become the permanent manager of Swansea.
"I've been asked to help the club out which is something I'll always do but in terms of the immediate future I'm not looking to be the full-time manager."
Three big names have been linked with the job since Clement was sacked on Wednesday.
Sky sources understand Swansea wanted to speak to former Everton manager Ronald Koeman about the vacancy but he is not interested in the job.
Slaven Bilic, who was sacked by West Ham last month, is also believed to be on Swansea's radar but Tony Pulis, another manager to lose his job this season, is not believed to be a target.
Britton will be assisted for the time being by under-23 coaches Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack while goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts will continue in his role. The group took training on Thursday.
Swansea are two points adrift at the bottom of the problem league with just 12 points from 18 matches but Britton is confident they can steer clear of trouble.
He added: "Of course there are going to be people who write us off, you understand that, but I think last year people did the same thing and were able to get out of it.
"So you have got to use that experience, keep the belief, and we can do it. I do believe use that given the squad of players we've got here and the quality that we can get out of this situation."
