Swansea City manager Garry Monk has claimed that Ashley Williams deserves to be recognised as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Williams has played an important role in Swansea's unbeaten start to the season, and he impressed during the international break to lead Wales to the brink of Euro 2016 qualification with clean sheets against Cyprus and Israel.

Monk believes that there are few better centre-back pairings than the captain's partnership with Federico Fernandez, and the Swansea boss claims that consistency has been the key.

"I think him and Fede, at this moment in time, are probably one of the best partnerships in the league with the way they performed together this season," he told reporters.

"Ashley himself has to be up there as one of the top three or four centre-backs in the league with the way he contributes every game, the way he leads the group, his experience.

"The most important bit, which is key for any defender, is how consistent you are. It's not just about the amount of games he's played, it's the level of performance so he should be really proud of that."

Swansea travel to Watford on Saturday afternoon.