Garry Monk on those Rhian Brewster links and what Sheffield Wednesday will face against his old club Swansea
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It’s been 1669 days since his 12-year love affair with the club came to an end when his sacking as their manager in December 2015 raised eyebrows across the football world.
It was a journey that started as a young defender released after a short-term spell at Barnsley in League Two. In the blink of an eye Monk was the club’s manager in a European tie against Italian giants Napoli.
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Hide AdSo it’s a club he knows well and one he is yet to either win or lose against, drawing on all three occasions he’s lined up in an opposition dugout.
“I was there for 12 years,” Monk said in a press conference ahead of Sunday’s midday kick-off. “We had a lot of good times and good memories, it’s a big part of my life down there.
“I have friends for life down there, teammates, staff, people in that city, it’s where my kids were born. I’ve got nothing but fond memories.”
The managerial career of the 41-year-old has moved in equally whirlwind fashion since that South Wales departure. It seems rarely a month goes by without this Wednesday side facing up against one of their manager’s former clubs and after short stints with Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Birmingham City, it is at Hillsborough that Monk intends to lay roots.
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Hide AdTomorrow he faces off against former England youth international Steve Cooper, who is overseeing a club transformation not a million miles from the dynamic, youth-first philosophy Monk has spoken about enacting at Sheffield Wednesday.
“I think Coops has done exceptionally well,” Monk said. “Obviously it’s a club I know very well, and he suits that.
“They’re a very young and vibrant team and they have a lot of ability and talent that has come through there in recent years. It’s a talented squad.
“I’m sure they have ambitions in terms of being in that shake-up at the end of the season, they’re still in a position to do that. It’s a good test for us to put these new principles in and test ourselves against the teams that are above us.”
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Hide AdAsked about the attacking abilities of Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster, one of the country’s brightest prospects who has six goals since joining in January, Monk was complimentary but denied rumours the club were close to signing him in the January transfer window.
“Of course I know him and I’m aware of him but we weren’t [in for him],” he said. “He was in another situation, we weren’t at all at the table for him at all.
“They’ve got good ability in that team, offensively especially. We’re going to have to be mindful of it but I think defensively we’ve done very well, even in that game against West Brom.
“We’re going to have to be good against Swansea. They’ve got a good dynamic in terms of offensive players.”