Swansea City’s Monk on Gylfi Sigurdsson: ‘Top-six player without a doubt’

'We allow him to express himself here' says Garry Monk, explaining Glyfi Sigurdsson's breakout year at Swansea City after a move from Tottenham.

Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson is second on the Premier League assist table this season. Stu Forster / Getty Images

In-form Iceland striker Gylfi Sigurdsson could play for any of the top six clubs in England, according to Swansea City manager Garry Monk, who brought him back to South Wales this summer.

Sigurdsson, who returned to Swansea after two years at Tottenham Hotspur as part of a deal that took Ben Davies in the opposite direction, has been instrumental for both club and country so far this season.

The 25-year-old scored in Swansea’s 2-1 win at Manchester United on the opening day of the season and is second on the Premier League goal assists table with six, behind Chelsea’s Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

He also leads the scoring charts in the Euro 2016 qualifiers with four goals, including both in Iceland’s 2-0 victory over the Netherlands that have put the Atlantic islanders joint top of Group A with a maximum nine points.

“Gylfi is a top-six player without a doubt, but he wanted to come and get regular football and be somewhere where he is comfortable and he enjoys his football,” Monk told the South Wales Evening Post. “We allow him to express himself here.”

Sigurdssdon, once likened to Frank Lampard by former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers, never quite established himself at Spurs but Monk believes he has returned a better player to the one that spent a season on loan in Wales from German club Hoffenheim in 2012.

“At Spurs, they had a lot of players for a lot of positions, and good quality players too,” Monk said.

“But I knew what quality Gylfi had. I had played with him and seen it first-hand – and he has come back a better player.

“Spurs improved him, with the game-time he had there and the training with the type of players they have there.

“He is a very good worker as well. That’s the side of the game he doesn’t get credit for. He has got the assists and goals, but his work rate is infectious.”

Swansea, who are in fifth place in the Premier League on 11 points from seven games, take on Stoke City on Sunday.

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