Swansea City boss Brendan Rodgers has taken a dig at two of his former players.

Rodgers cites the ­departure last summer of Darren Pratley and Dorus de Vries as ­examples of the grass not always being greener.

De Vries is now understudy to Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey at Wolves, while Pratley has failed to win a regular starting place at Bolton. Rodgers said: "I didn't want to lose anyone, but we did.

"Have they gone on and ­furthered their careers?

"Look at Neil Taylor, who ­almost left for Newcastle in the summer. He would have boosted his wages and played for a big club. But I was able to sell him the vision of this club. Now, he's already made great strides. There's no doubt for me that he is going to be one of the top full-backs in the game.

"Look at Leon Britton, who left last season for Sheffield United, then came back within months. Now he's playing regularly in the Premier League.

"But I'm under no pressure to sell.

"In fact, my aim is to boost our squad. We have identified ­targets and I feel we'll need four or even six new players to maintain our ­improvement."