ACE JEFF CAN PLAY BIG ROLE FOR US, SAYS OLI
OLI McBurnie has tipped Swansea’s “magic man” Jefferson Montero to cast a spell on Championship defenders this season.
Ecuador international Montero has made a big impression under Graham Potter since returning from loan spells at Getafe and Emelec last season.
The 29-year-old winger has twice stepped off the bench to produce game-changing performances at Sheffield United and last week’s win at Millwall.
“Teams in the Championship don’t tend to have players with Jeff’s quality,” said striker McBurnie. “I don’t think there are many sides in the division who would like to see him warming up with 20 minutes to go.
“The magic man came on at Millwall and gave me the tap-in at the end which I was very grateful for.
“The weight of pass for the goal was perfect – the amount of talent he has got is ridiculous.”
Montero showed glimpses of his searing pace and trickery for Swansea in the Premier League, but has been dogged by injury and inconsistency since arriving at the Liberty Stadium for £4m from Mexican side Morella in 2014.
He was farmed out on loan by former Swansea manager Paul Clement to Getafe and when that did not work out returned home to Ecuador on a ‘sub-loan’ with Emelec.
But McBurnie is convinced Montero will play a key role for the Swans in the second tier.
“It is no surprise because he has done that to teams in the Premier League,” added McBurnie.
“You have seen what he has done to the likes of (Branislav) Ivanovic and other Premier League players. His ability has never been in question.
“He is a weapon for us, but we just need to make sure he is fit.”