Leicester boss Nigel Pearson hails 'fantastic' faith shown in Garry Monk at Swansea

Leicester are looking for a third-straight win when Swansea visit on Saturday

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Nigel Pearson has hailed the 'fantastic' decision which saw Garry Monk appointed as Swansea City boss last February.

The 36-year-old Swans manager, who made 226 appearances in all four divisions for the club, has been linked with the West Ham job after leading his side to their joint-highest Premier League points tally.

Monk was forced to refute the speculation in midweek, reminding reporters that Sam Allardyce remains in charge at Upton Park, but nonetheless described the story as a ‘compliment’.

Swansea manager Garry Monk (Getty Images)

Leicester manager Pearson, undoubtedly buoyed after securing back-to-back victories for the first time since September, is pleased to see young English coaches being given opportunities at the highest level.

“It is very commendable of Swansea to have appointed him,” he said.

“Garry has been at the club a long time and for him to go into his first coaching job as a Premier League manager is fantastic.

“I think he has coped very well and it reinforces that old argument of continuity. I think Swansea’s model is a very good model which works for them.

“For a number of years now, they’ve appointed people who fit their model. Maybe that’s a lesson for other clubs.”

Leicester are just three points from safety (Getty)

Pearson’s comments come two months after the East Midlands club elected to dismiss the former Hull City boss before reinstating him just hours later.

Leicester have performed admirably since that particular episode and now lie just three points adrift of Premier League safety.

But Pearson, who says his side are still underdogs in the battle to avoid the drop, has called for calm after some national bookmakers made them favourites to survive.

“We are still bottom of the league,” he added. “We’ve still got to gain points on teams and it’s really important that we keep our focus.

“We need to keep our standards up or improve on the standards which we’ve set in recent months.

“There is pressure, of course there is, but the players ultimately need to go out there and perform.”