Swansea manager and ex-Saints defender Garry Monk thinks his former club may have more quality in their team now than they did last season.

Monk, who at the age of 35 is the youngest boss in the Premier League, credits his eight-year spell on the south coast for teaching him “loyalty and dedication”.

He admits he had concerns about where Saints might be heading when they were selling some of their star players in the summer, but he believes they might actually be even better now.

“I wondered about them early in the summer with all the players who were leaving, but then I saw the players they were bringing in and then I didn’t fear for them,” he said, ahead of tomorrow’s top-four clash between the teams at the Liberty Stadium.

“I knew the players they were signing were quality. I think they are at the level they were last season — and they may even have more quality now.

“Dusan Tadic is a player I really like, Graziano Pelle is scoring goals, James Ward-Prowse is a good young player and keeping Morgan Schneiderlin was big for them.”