Danny Murphy gives opinion of Garry Monk’s time at Leeds United

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Monk has enjoyed a great start to life with Leeds, having joined in the summer.

Leeds United manager Garry Monk

Danny Murphy has told Jim White on talkSPORT (broadcast on November 17th) that he believes that Garry Monk is one of the unluckiest managers in Premier League history, and suggested that he took a risk taking over at Leeds United in the summer.

Monk’s only previous stint as a manager came when he was handed the Swansea City job in 2014 after impressing during his time as interim player-boss.

But he initially made the most of the opportunity at the Liberty Stadium as he guided the Swans to an eighth place finish in the top flight.

He was sacked in December 2015 having failed to win any of his final 11 games, but Murphy insisted that despite the poor run, he did not deserve to be fired, before discussing his decision to move to Elland Road.

“I think Garry Monk was one of the unluckiest managers to lose his job in the history of the Premier League after what he’d achieved in his first season at Swansea,” he told Jim White on talkSPORT.

“One bad run and they panicked.

Monk, during his time with Swansea

“He took a risk taking that Leeds job, but he’s trusted his ability and now he’s getting his rewards, and long may it continue because I don’t think they’ve got one of the biggest budgets in the division – well, I know they haven’t because he’s been on this show – and he’s competing.”

It had appeared that the gamble of taking the Leeds job was about to backfire, as Murphy feared it may do, during the early stages of Monk’s tenure.

Leeds won just once in their first six league games and were one defeat away from falling to the bottom of the Championship at one stage.

However, a brilliant run since the win over Blackburn in September has seen the Whites move up into the play-off places in the division.

And Monk will be hoping that his side can maintain their current form for the rest of the campaign to perhaps prove further that Swansea were too hasty in their decision to get rid of him.