Man City interested in Perez, claims Carver

The former Tenerife striker has enjoyed a strong debut season in English football, scoring five goals despite the bulk of his 30 appearances coming off the bench.

And although he has recently played second fiddle to Papiss Cisse, Perez's potential appears to have caught the eye of Premier League champions City.

"I'm not surprised [by the interest in Perez]. He's a young lad and an exciting talent," Carver told the Evening Chronicle.

"I know for a fact there is interest. You go in coaches' rooms after games and have a chat. A few people have spoken very highly of him, which is good. 

"I had a good chat with Brian Kidd at Man City about him."

Carver also explained his reasoning for resting Perez - who previously claimed to have been the subject of interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.

"He's got five goals - just behind Papiss. I took him out of the firing line and I was right to do so," he added.

"It has helped him having a bit of a break. There was an awful lot of pressure on this young lad coming from Tenerife and being thrown into our cauldron, as we all know it is."