Garry Monk may have a long-running association with Swansea City but that doesn’t mean he’ll be getting caught up in the occasion on Saturday.
Former Swansea City manager Garry Monk has played down his supposed rivalry with Cardiff City as Leeds United prepare to host the Bluebirds this weekend in comments published by the club’s official Twitter account.
The 37-year-old cut his managerial teeth with the Swans between 2014 and 2015 after captaining the club for the majority of his 10-year spell in South Wales.
However Monk, who picked up only his second win as Leeds manager against bottom of the table Blackburn on Tuesday night, has played down any suggestions of a heated rivalry between himself and his former club’s arch-rivals.
“My history with Cardiff means nothing – this is a new chapter for me and all I’m focused on is Leeds United,” Monk told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash, according to the club’s official Twitter account.
According to the Express, Leeds’ crucial midweek win may not be enough to save Monk’s job in the long-term with owner Massimo Cellino, who has presided over six different managers in just two and a half seasons at Elland Road, reportedly unimpressed by the highly-rated rookie.
However, Monk has pleaded for patience, stressing that he believes there is much more to come from a squad that has underperformed so far despite a number of intriguing arrivals in the close season, including Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson and League Two Player of the Season Kemar Roofe (below).
“There’s way more to come from all the players. We’ve shown potential in patches, just not consistently yet,” Monk said on Thursday.
Leeds have picked up just seven points from seven games so far, with any pre-season optimism quickly dissipating.
Therefore, the up-and-coming head coach will be more than aware of the need to quickly start getting wins under his belt as Cellino allegedly sharpens his proverbial scythe.
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