Sol Bamba shares what Garry Monk told the Leeds squad on his first day of training

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Cardiff’s Sol Bamba has offered his view on Leeds manager Garry Monk.

Cardiff City defender Sol Bamba has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he is a fan of Garry Monk – despite being allowed to leave by the Leeds United manager.

Bamba, 32, makes his first return to Elland Road this weekend, as Cardiff City travel to West Yorkshire for their latest Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.

The Ivorian defender spent over 18 months with Leeds having initially arrived on loan from Palermo in January 2015, but eventually penned a permanent deal just months later.

Aston Villa’s Jordan Ayew in action with with Cardiff City’s Sol Bamba

Bamba made 49 appearances for Leeds, but appeared just four times under Garry Monk, as he was released from his contract in September despite being club captain.

The ex-Leicester ace moved on to Cardiff on a free transfer in October, and now both he and former Leeds boss Neil Warnock return to Elland Road this weekend in search of three points.

Sol Bamba during his time with Leeds United

Ahead of this weekend’s clash between the two sides, Bamba has spoken to the Yorkshire Evening Post about Leeds boss Monk, and had surprisingly positive things to say despite the 37-year-old releasing him from his contract.

Bamba has admitted that he liked Monk ‘straight away’, as he arrived on his first day at the club and told the squad that he wanted to make Leeds into an organised team – something he has certainly achieved this season.

Bamba added that he doesn’t have a bad word to say about Monk, suggesting that he was right to let him go given that he wouldn’t have played as much as he is with Cardiff this season.

“I liked the manager (Monk) straight away,” said Bamba. “Day one he said to us ‘I’m going to make you into a team. I’m going to make you organised.’ He just needed to get past a difficult start and wait for everything to sink in.”

“I don’t have a bad work to say about him and if I’d still been there now, it might have gone as he said. I wouldn’t have played as much as I have at Cardiff,” he added.

Do you think Leeds should have kept Bamba?