Manchester City's 29-year-old striker Alvaro Negredo has stated that his parent manager Manuel Pellegrini lost faith in his ability, as opposed to reports suggesting he joined La Liga side Valencia on a loan basis as he was homesick. 

He joined Valencia on a season-long loan back on the final day of the summer transfer window, and a clause in his contract means Los Che have to splash £20million pounds in the summer if they want to make the move a permanent one. The striker made an impressive start to life in Manchester, scoring 23 goals in his first 33 appearances - but injuries plagued his development with the side and he struggled to score for over two months before he consequently lost his place in the team to Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko

Negredo stated he wanted to leave because Pellegrini had no confidence in him, saying: "There are things you miss when you leave your country but the main reason I left is because the manager lost faith in me. Around February, I had an injury to my shoulder. I didn't stop to rest it - I was playing in a huge amount of pain. Kun [Aguero] was injured and Stevan Jovetic had problems, so I felt I had to play. We had huge games against Chelsea and Barcelona. I didn't play well and the manager started to play Edin Dzeko. I don't feel I ever regained his trust.

Also, on the contrary to rumours suggesting the experienced forward was struggling from homesickness, he confirmed: "I was not homesick. I was very happy in Manchester and on a personal level. It is a different way of life but it is not an excuse. I made an effort to learn English, the manager spoke English in the dressing room and I could understand most of it by the end of the season. It is not a reason to say my family wasn't happy.

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Mosope Ominiyi
Writer and editor - European football analyst, youth enthusiast. Email: [email protected]