Swansea City and Sheffield United will have very different memories of midfielder: View | OneFootball

Leon Britton is considered a Swansea City legend thanks to his 16-year spell with the club, which coincided with one of the most successful periods in the Swans' history.

However, it's often forgotten that the midfielder had a spell with Sheffield United during the 2010/11 season which didn't quite go to plan, and just a couple of months after arriving at Bramall Lane, Britton returned to Swansea, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

Britton couldn't quite settle at Sheffield United, and it quickly became apparent that he'd made the wrong choice leaving Swansea, and the fact he came back so quickly after realising his mistake only helped secure his status as a Swansea legend.

Sheffield United supporters, on the other hand, certainly won't have fond memories of Britton's time at Bramall Lane, and his time at the club summed up a disastrous season which eventually saw them relegated.

Leon Britton made the wrong decision to join Sheffield United

Leon Britton joined Swansea City on loan during the 2002/03 season, helping them survive relegation to non-league on the final day of the season, and he joined the club on a permanent basis from West Ham in the summer of 2003.

Britton was a hugely influential figure for the Swans, and helped the club win a number of promotions, before proving his worth as an excellent Championship midfielder.

The midfielder's contract expired in SA1 in the summer of 2010, and with interest from Premier League side Wigan Athletic and Championship side Sheffield United, Britton turned down a new deal with the Swans and moved to Bramall Lane.

Swansea had finished eighth under Paulo Sousa the previous campaign, but had played an unattractive brand of football which didn't suit Britton's style of play, hence his desire to move on.

However, it quickly became apparent that he had a made a mistake, particularly when Swansea appointed Brendan Rodgers, a manager who certainly played football the way that suited Britton.

Sheffield United were also a mess, and Kevin Blackwell, who had brought Britton to the club, was sacked in August, and was replaced by Gary Speed.

Results on the pitch were poor too, and Speed left in December to be replaced by Micky Adams. By this point, it appeared that Britton had seen enough, and by the middle of January, the midfielder had re-signed for Swansea after just 26 appearances for the Blades.

Upon his return, Britton said: "It was a mistake and I should never have left Swansea. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and none of us would make any mistakes if we knew what was ahead of us."

Swansea was clearly Britton's natural home, and despite leaving the previous summer, he soon made it up to Swansea's supporters.

Leon Britton would play a key role in Swansea City's success

When Leon Britton returned to Swansea City, he joined a side competing for promotion, and his addition helped get Swansea over the line.

Britton walked back into Swansea's starting XI, and played a key role in helping them finish third, setting up a play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Britton scored the first goal of the tie as Swansea won 3-1, and he played 77 minutes at Wembley as Swansea beat Reading 4-2 to seal promotion to the Premier League - some turnaround from the first half of the campaign at Sheffield United.

Swansea would go onto spend seven consecutive seasons in the Premier League, and Britton would play a huge role in helping to keep the club in the top-flight, particularly during the 2016/17 season, where he came back into the side and helped the club survive after previously being out of the squad.

The Swans were relegated in 2018, and this coincided with Britton leaving the club as he retired from professional football, although he has had spells with Welsh League clubs such as Llanelli Town and Ammanford Town since.

However, the midfielder has remained part of the club, and has had numerous roles, such as club ambassador, football advisor to the board, Sporting Director, and player coach for the club's U23 side.

Britton's brief spell with the Blades was a small blip during his 16 years as a Swansea player, and he'll always be fondly remembered at the Swansea.com Stadium.