Paul Clement has paid tribute to the influence, not to mention the goals, of Fernando Llorente as Swansea City have put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone.

The Swans head coach believes Llorente is proving his heading ability is as good as any player in Europe – and compared his aerial power to that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Former Spain striker Llorente scored two of Swansea’s three goals in the 3-2 victory over Burnley last weekend to give him 11 for the season, including three in his last two games.

Clement, whose team will reach the 30-points mark if they can beat Hull City away from home on Saturday, said: “He is doing very well, he has proven to be a key player.

“He has scored five goals since I have been here. What has helped him is he is getting a good supply into the box and that was clear against Burnley, not just for his goals but he had other chances, too. He is a very good player when you get crosses in for him.

“He is just so good at heading the ball. Ronaldo was also fantastic in that, as is Bale from the striker perspective. Terry and Ramos were good defenders going forward, but Llorente is a wonderful header of the ball.

“He also has a presence, he works really hard, he has a smile on his face and is enjoying his football. To have someone of that ability, with that experience and having won trophies makes him a real asset for the club.”

Clement confirmed that winger Jefferson Montero has recovered from his hamstring injury and is available to face Hull, who are six points adrift of the Swans.

The arrival of Luciano Narsingh and Jordan Ayew has made Montero’s task of regaining his place in the team far more difficult, but Clement was eager to stress the qualities of the Ecuadorian who has yet to play a game since the head coach arrived at the Liberty Stadium.

“We bought two players who can play wide on both sides so there is a lot of competition and having lost Nathan Dyer to a long-term injury it is good Jefferson is coming back at a good time.”

Clement’s first game in charge was Swansea’s FA Cup defeat at Hull, but this game holds far more significance as he seeks a fifth victory in their last seven Premier League matches.

“We go there to try and win. If we don’t it is very important not to lose. The objective is to go and win, but a point at Hull would not be a bad result.

“I have only known them since I came back to England and I have watched their games. They were ahead against Leicester but they probably played them at a bad time compared to when we played them.

“They played well against Chelsea and Arsenal and I remember the Cup game against us where they played very well in a tight game.

“Looking at the statistics of shots on target, possession and crosses, the two teams are very similar. I expect a good competitive game.”