Out of favour Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz has stated his desire to leave the ambitious club in January after failing to impress Roberto Mancini.
The 29-year-old Paraguay international has been plagued with injuries since his £18m transfer from Blackburn in 2009, clocking up only 3 goals in 20 appearances, playing only once this season.
The arrival of Mario Balotelli signalled the end for Santa Cruz and he almost made a move to Italy on the last day of the transfer window, only for the plug to be pulled at the last second.
The 6ft 2in target man has been patiently waiting for an opportunity to show why former City manager Mark Hughes was so keen to sign him, but the knowledge that out-of-sorts Brazilian Jo is now favoured ahead of him in the pecking order is enough to extinguish the hopes of even the most optimistic of characters.
‘Competition for places is great and I’m working every day to try and convince the coach, but I’m still not getting picked,’ Santa Cruz told Spanish radio.
‘I’m not getting the playing time to convince anybody and my priority is to leave in the January transfer market.
‘I’m 29 and still hope to fulfil my dream of playing in Spain. It is the dream of most South American players, hopefully it will happen.’
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