Swansea defender Marcos Painter insists he need to be playing matches after missing the majority of the past year injured.

Painter returned from a cruciate knee ligament injury during pre-season but has yet to establish himself under manager Paulo Sousa.

"I feel myself gradually getting sharper but I know that I've still got a way to go," he told the club's official website.

"But with a run of games, be it with the first-team or reserves, you start to get back in the swing of things.

"I went through a phase at the start of the season when I felt really good in the first few games I played, notably the Watford game when I felt really fresh, but then it seemed to take its toll all at once.

"I played a few games here and there and I didn't feel 100 per cent, and kept having to remind myself that the time I've missed a lot of football in the last 12 months."