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Swansea boss Garry Monk backs Gylfi Sigurdsson to shine vs. Tottenham

Gylfi Sigurdsson will be out to prove a point to his former Tottenham fans at White Hart Lane, according to his Swansea manager Garry Monk.

Sigurdsson has been a revelation since swapping north London for south Wales last summer, scoring six goals while his eight assists are the joint second highest in the Premier League.

And, as the Icelandic international prepares to return to Tottenham on Wednesday, Monk admits the 25-year-old has thrived in surroundings where he has felt at home.

"He just needed that place he felt comfortable and had some regular football and played to his strengths," Monk said.

"I think he has showed that for the majority of this season.

"He came to us a better player than when he was here in his first spell so he obviously improved a lot at Tottenham."

Sigurdsson joined Spurs in the summer of 2012 in a 6.8-million-pound deal from German club Hoffenheim having impressed during a five-month loan spell at Swansea.

But he never established himself at Spurs where he made only 26 league starts and returned to Swansea in a swap deal which saw full-back Ben Davies and goalkeeper Michel Vorm move in the other direction.

Sigurdsson played for Spurs under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood but left the club following Mauricio Pochettino's arrival from Southampton.

"He [Pochettino] made his decision in the summer and has taken the squad a different way," Monk said.

"He assessed the squad and felt that Gylfi wasn't part of their plans going forward.

"But I think he's got a good relationship with the Tottenham fans and I'm sure he will get a good reception there."

Sigurdsson has recovered from the hamstring problem which forced him to sit out Saturday's 1-0 win at Burnley as Swansea seek to close the gap on seventh-placed Spurs.

He will be joined in the Swansea side by another Tottenham old boy Kyle Naughton, who followed in his footsteps by making a £5million switch in January.

"When you play against former clubs you do want to prove a point and show that other team what you are missing - and that's the case with Gylfi and Kyle," Monk said.

"There is a bit between the two clubs with different players but come the game that is not the focus.

"They are professionals playing for their club and want to win."

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