Speaking to todays Western Mail Michael Laudrup believes Swansea City have given Wayne Routledge the freedom to showcase his talent in the Premier League.
Routledge has been a surprise hit for Swansea under Laudrup this season, outshining £5.55m summer signing Pablo Hernandez and fellow winger Nathan Dyer since the departure of Scott Sinclair to Manchester City.
The 27-year-old spent most of last season behind Sinclair and Dyer under former boss Brendan Rodgers but has been one of Swansea’s most consistent performers in the opening eight games this time around.
He appears to have finally settled at Swansea – the ninth club of his career – but Laudrup maintains he has not been surprised by Routledge’s impact.
Laudrup said: “Wayne has not been a regular starter for a long time, he is now and that’s important.
“I heard when I arrived here that he only scored one goal in 100 games, and he has already scored double that this season.
“Maybe he has been a big surprise for those watching on, but we know he has a lot of quality.
“We are giving him confidence and that’s important for every player. With confidence, everything comes out.”
Routledge was instrumental in Swansea’s opening goal in their 2-1 win over Wigan on Saturday, breaking down the left with a lovely piece of skill before passing to Jonathan de Guzman to set up Hernandez for his first goal for the club.
“Wayne is a wide player, but he is not a winger for me,” said Laudrup. “He is someone who wants to come inside more and looks for the pass. He has good vision and is very fast.
“Wayne knows that even on a day when maybe he is not playing that well, he will not lose his position.
“He will still be one of the three really good wide players along with Nathan and Pablo.”
Laudrup admitted Hernandez had made a slow start to his time at Swansea since arriving from Valencia in August.
The Spain international had struggled to make an impact in his first three games before much-improved performances against Reading and Wigan.
He grabbed his first goal in English football with a second-half strike against Wigan and Laudrup insists there is plenty more to come from the record signing.
“When you come to a new club, a new league and a new culture, you want to make a good impression,” he said.
“Sometimes when you’re trying to do that, you want to do too many things at the same time.
“There’s a difference playing here compared to Spain.
“This league is much more physical than Pablo is used to.
“That’s why sometimes we have started him on the bench and sometimes he has started and come off, but he is adapting and getting better and better.