‘We Will Have a Serious Player On Our Hands’

Garry Monk has talked up the potential of one of his players after his superb performance on Saturday in the 2-0 home win against Stoke City.

And it’s that man Jonjo Shelvey. The former Liverpool midfielder produced a man of the match performance as he set up both goals to help his side move 6 points clear of Stoke and West Ham below them as they look to hold on to their 8th place in the table.

Ever since Garry Monk publicly criticised Shelvey for his lack of discipline and his laziness towards the end of 2014, the England international has improved game by game.

He has clearly worked on his fitness, which Garry Monk confirms, but not only that – his discipline has vastly improved, not to mention that his tendency to lose possession in his own half due to sheer sloppiness and delayed decision making has now disappeared.

His energetic and inspired performance on Saturday was arguably the best example yet that he is looking to lose what was a growing reputation of a player who was lazy, ill-disciplined and inconsistent.

So much were these problems and how often he put them on display meant that some Swansea fans believed he should have been put up for sale, but Jonjo looks keen to make them eat their words.

Monk could have a welcomed team selection headache before long, especially if he continues to use the 4-2-3-1 system, as he somehow has to pick between the likes of Shelvey, Ki, Cork and Sigurdsson in his midfield.

Shelvey looks determined to become one of the first names on the teamsheet, and Monk says that if he can continue to improve as he is, then they’ll have some serious player on their books.

‘He has taken the criticism on board and he has worked really hard at his fitness,`

‘If he keeps progressing, we will have a serious player on our hands.`

If you compare Shelvey now to the player he was around about the time we lost at his former club Liverpool – where he picked up a retrospective 4-match ban – he could be like a new signing for Swansea City next season.

He’s not picking up many more bookings, and has only been booked twice in 2015, compared to earlier in the season when he was booked 7 times in 11 League games – includes a second yellow at Everton.

Since that Liverpool game, he’s also scored another two goals as well as setting up both goals on Saturday – and you can see the signs are there that he’s finally prepared to push on and prove just how talented he is.

His desire was for everyone to see against Stoke, and even if he does play for the Swans – a club England usually ignore when it comes to calling up players – he may just earn another call-up…..who knows?