SWANSEA City have suffered an early pre-season blow after four senior players sat out the start of their Championship preparations.

Club skipper Garry Monk, full-backs Marcos Painter and Angel Rangel and striker Guillem Bauza are all short of fitness as Swansea begin building towards Leicester City on August 8.

Monk is still going through the rehabilitation process after undergoing surgery on his troublesome back in May.

Bauza, who had a summer operation on his heel, is in a similar position while Painter is still to be given the all clear having suffered cruciate ligament damage last October.

All three have been on the training ground being put through their paces by assistant physio Ailsa Jones at the start of pre-season, but Rangel has only been able to work in the gym.

In what will be a worry for Paulo Sousa, the Spanish right-back is still struggling with the Achilles problem which hampered him at the back end of last season.