Swansea manager Monk warns Shelvey his place is at risk

Garry Monk, manager of Swansea City gives instructions to midfielder Jonjo Shelvey of Swansea during a Premier League match.

By Stuart James/The GuardianMonk has issued a stark warning to Jonjo Shelvey that he will lose his place in the Swansea City team if he continues to pick up bookings for being “lazy”. Shelvey collected his sixth yellow card of the league season against Aston Villa on Friday following a cynical foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor – he was sent off against Everton in November after being booked twice – and Monk said the midfielder is running the risk of becoming a liability.Although Monk described Shelvey as a player with “frightening ability” and stressed that he does not want his criticism to come across as harsh, the Swansea manager admitted he has become increasingly frustrated with Shelvey’s tendency to pick up “silly bookings” that impact on his performance and run the risk of costing the team points. Monk explained that it was for those reasons that Shelvey, 22, was withdrawn early in the second half of the Boxing Day win against Villa.Before last night’s trip to Liverpool, where Shelvey spent three years before joining Swansea, Monk said the time has come for the former Charlton trainee to “wise up” and learn from his mistakes or be prepared to watch games from the sidelines. “I have spoken to him clearly about it. Silly bookings, we can’t afford it,” the Swansea manager said.“At the end of the day it costs him being on the pitch. I could have made that substitution [against Villa] at half-time, but I didn’t. I thought about it. But then I knew within 10 minutes or so that I would make the substitution. Those conditions, any slight mistimed tackle, which could have been unfortunate, and it would be a red card. I have spoken to Jonjo about this and he has to wise up.“The yellow card came from laziness, and he has to be better than that. I have spoken to him a number of times about this and there is only so many times you can say it. He has to learn very quickly and make sure he does the work instead of being lazy with it and he won’t pick up those yellow cards and risk a red or coming off the pitch.“It is about doing your job properly, understanding the role that you are playing, not just for yourself but for the team. Jonjo has to learn very quickly from it, otherwise he won’t play games, it is as simple as that. I don’t want to be in that position where he gets a yellow and I’m thinking the rest of the game that there could be a sending off here. I shouldn’t be put in that position, I shouldn’t have to worry about that, so it isn’t my problem, it is Jonjo’s.”One of the biggest frustrations for Monk is that Shelvey, who was called up to the England squad for the European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia in October, is supremely talented and capable of being one of the most influential players in the Swansea team.“I see him every single day and his ability is frightening,” Monk said. “I said to him that I’m more than willing to give him the chance to show that ability, I work with him every day and I will push him every day, but you also need to want it yourself. I think he does want it, but he has to understand that the time for being lazy with it has gone. He has to push himself. The team are trying to push now, and the demands I put on them is the same I put on him.“He’s a good guy, Jonjo. This sounds harsh, but I am not meaning it to come across harsh. I have told him privately. I am not making this a massive issue, but it is about Jonjo understanding what it is. The last thing I want to do is take him off the pitch because I know the ability he has. But I can’t afford with what has been going on this season a few times with Jonjo … as soon as you get a yellow card, you run the risk of a red. And the other bit is, even if he doesn’t make a silly challenge, you are taking away half the player again because he feels he can’t make a tackle or touch anyone.”