Jovetic Happy with first team time

Manchester City have been giving a number of opportunities to Stevan Jovetic this season, which is surprising considering that the former Fiorentina forward was largely a substitute throughout last campaign. Despite brought in for around £ 22 million last summer, he featured in only 16 matches throughout the campaign. Even though his record of six goals in these matches bodes well, Jovetic often found himself on the bench during the presence of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, and Alvaro Negredo. This campaign, however, Jovetic has been a key man for the Premier League champions.

He has featured in two out of the three league matches played by City, while more importantly, he has two goals to his name. The injury concerns surrounding Sergio Aguero have meant that manager Manuel Pellegrini does not have many options up front. On transfer deadline day, the club decided to allow Alvaro Negredo to join Valencia on a season-long loan deal which is set to be made permanent. This leaves Pellegrini with three main strikers in his squad with one of them being Jovetic. The 24-year-old says that he is happy with the regular game think he has been getting this season, which shows that Pellegrini has a lot of faith in him.

“Last season I had so many problems. I was late into preparation and I just could not catch my teammates. And then there were all those injuries. Just as I recovered I would get hurt again. But I guess there were things that I was doing right, because the club wanted me to stay. They believed in me – president, manager, teammates. And it means a lot. They told me they want me to stay for which I’m very grateful. I know what I can do and how much I can give my club,” said Jovetic.