Dutch master van der Hoorn happy to stay on at Liberty

SWANSEA City defender Mike van der Hoorn says there have been no offers for him this summer and says he is happy at the club.

The defender, who skippered the side last year at times during the absence of captain Leroy Fer, says he would like to have the armband full time under new boss Steve Cooper. The Dutchman was speaking to Football-Oranje after the comfortable 3-1 win over League Two side Exeter City on Saturday.

His words will be of comfort to Swansea supporters, but his candid comments over his future ambitions will be of slight concern.

Asked if he was happy at Swansea, he said: “Yeah, I enjoy it here, we have a good group of lads. It’s nice to work with them, we have a nice facility as well, so yeah, all good.”

The 26-year-old has made no secret of the fact that he would like to be playing at the highest level possible, something he emphasised post-match at St James Park. He has been linked with Premier League new boys Aston Villa in the past.

He added: “Of course you want to be back in the Premier League, play at the highest level. But the chance has to come up, or we (Swansea) push for promotion this year. There has to be an offer for me to go to the Premier League, there hasn’t been yet, so I stay at Swansea and do my best.”

Swansea will be desperate to keep hold of van der Hoorn, and retaining his services for the 2019-20 campaign will be a huge boost for the Liberty Stadium outfit.

Cooper’s side are unbeaten over the course of pre-season with fitness levels improving with every match. And with just two games to go before the Championship season starts, van der Hoorn believes they are shaping up nicely.

“I think we make progress with every game. I think we did well in parts of the game,” he said of the win over The Grecians.

“Although it is a League Two side, you still have to be focused on what you want. But yeah, a good perfomance.

“It’s harder to give an aim (for the season) because the Championship is a tough league. Every week is tough, it’s always a challenge to win the game.” And on the captaincy, the central defender has put his hand up for the role.

“It’s a new manager, new opportunities for players to be captain, I’m sure he has his own ideas,” he said.

“Of course I’m available, I want to be captain, I enjoyed it last year, but it is not up to me, I can’t make myself captain. That’s up to the gaffer.”