Wednesday 30 July 2014 09:24, UK
Stevan Jovetic says he has never considered leaving Manchester City and is determined to repay Manuel Pellegrini's faith.
The Montenegro international completed a big-money switch to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2013, with City seeing off interest from a number of European rivals to land the highly-rated forward.
Jovetic was to endure a difficult start to life in England, though, as niggling injuries prevented him from showing his true colours.
He improved, as did his fitness, as the season went on, but talk of a return to Serie A – where he has previously turned out for Fiorentina - began to circulate long before the opening of the summer transfer window.
I never said it was better to leave England. I have the manager’s confidence and I feel stronger. I hope now the City fans will see the real Jovetic.
Jovetic has, however, been backed by City boss Pellegrini to play a leading role in 2014/15 and the 24-year-old insists he has no intention of walking away from a Premier League challenge.
He said: “I never said it was better to leave England.
“I know I’m good, I know I can play here. In the last few months of the season, when I was fit, I played well, every game.
“I have the manager’s confidence and I feel stronger. I hope now the City fans will see the real Jovetic.”
Jovetic is confident his fitness struggles have been laid to rest and that a full pre-season at City will have him raring to go come August 16.
He said: “My injury problems are all okay now. I had a three-week rest and after that I started doing the programme that City set for me.
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“We had 10 days in Scotland and then came here (America). I feel good and I hope the fans are going to see a lot of things from me.
“Last year I played well when I was fit. This year, hopefully when I have a good preparation with the team, it’s going to be a different story.
“This time last year, the problem was that they finished with the first part of pre-season in South Africa and I was waiting to sign.
“When I arrived they were starting to play matches and I was always behind the rest of the squad.
“I was then with the national team and I wanted to play 90 minutes to get more fitness. That was a mistake because I got hurt and came into the season injured.
“I was always behind and had one injury after another. It was difficult.”
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