Matt Grimes has insisted that he has “massively” improved since a forgettable season at Leeds United.
The Swansea City midfielder spent a season on loan at Elland Road in 2016-17 when Garry Monk’s side missed out on a play-off spot only on the final day of the campaign.
Grimes played the full 90 minutes for Swansea in their 2-1 defeat to Leeds on Wednesday night on what his 26th league start of the campaign.
Asked whether he had improved his game since leaving Leeds, Grimes told SwansTV: “Yeah, massively. I think my time here was not really a reflection of what I can do. It was a struggle for myself but now I feel confident and good.
“I just want to keep giving good performances for the Swans.”
OPINION
Grimes certainly failed to show Leeds fans much evidence of why Monk had persuaded him to drop down a division from the Premier League in a loan deal he hailed at the time as a major coup. Grimes made just one start for the club and six substitute appearances, and did little to suggest he could be a major player at Championship level, let alone in the English top flight. In the intervening 18 months, Grimes has come on leaps and bounds, especially since Swansea City’ relegation. He has been a central figure under Graham Potter, playing predominantly this season in central midfield, but also filling in as an emergency left-back on a number of occasions. Aged 23, he is playing the best football of his career, although there is still some way to go before he would be able to make the climb back into the Premier League and be a mainstay of one of the top flight outfits. He appears to have found his level in the English second tier.