Swansea Name Leon Britton as Caretaker Player-Manager in Wake of Paul Clement Exit

Swansea City have confirmed that player/coach Leon Britton will step into a caretaker manager role ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium.

35-year-old Britton, who first joined the club on an initial loan from West Ham in December 2002 in what proved to be a successful bid to stave off relegation out of the Football League, will become one of the youngest managers in Premier League history.

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It follows the departure of boss Paul Clement on Wednesday evening, with Britton to be assisted by Under-23 coaches Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack, as well as goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts.

Swansea have a recent history of handing the reins to a senior player after naming 34-year-old Garry Monk interim player/manager following Michael Laudrup's dismissal in February 2014.

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Monk completed the season in charge, successfully avoiding relegation, and was subsequently named permanent boss on a three-year contract as a result. Swansea finished his first full season in charge with a club record points tally to place eighth in the Premier League table.

Depending on how long he remains in temporary charge, Britton has a sizeable challenge on his hands. The Swans have lost eight of their last 10 Premier League games and are bottom of the table, four points adrift of safety, and are also the division's lowest scoring team.