London: Swansea manager Garry Monk believes Ki Sung-yeung’s impressive form this season is due in large part to the skills of Sunderland boss Gus Poyet.
Ki spent last season on loan at Sunderland after being told he was not part of former Swansea manager Michael Laudrup’s plans and helped the Black Cats reach the League Cup final as well as win their battle against Premier League relegation.
Poyet wanted to make the loan deal permanent, but Monk persuaded the South Korea midfielder that his future lay in Swansea after he succeeded Laudrup and Ki has since signed a new four-year contract at the Liberty Stadium.
“Gus deserves big credit, he gave him a good role in the team and highlighted what Ki had, but we knew that anyway,” Monk said ahead of Swansea’s trip to Sunderland on Saturday.
“I knew that myself after playing with him and seeing him in training and that’s why I made it clear for him to stay.
“But he’s matured as well as a footballer and a human being. He understands himself a bit more now of what he needs to do to get the best out of himself and what players need from him as well.”
The 25-year-old has been one of Swansea’s standout performers during their impressive start to the season and repaid Monk’s hard work during the close-season when he made getting Ki back on board one of his main priorities.
“I spoke to him a lot in the summer and told him he was the type of player I wanted with us,” Monk said.
“He is an important part of how I want to go with this team and he just needed to feel that and that he was wanted.
“I explained that very much to him and from that point onwards he was pretty much sold on it.
“His commitment in training every day has been great and in the games he is producing some good football.”
