Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic says he never questioned joining the club after an injury-hit first campaign.
The 24-year-old swapped Fiorentina for the Etihad Stadium in July 2013, but the £22 million man started just two Premier League games last season after suffering separate hamstring and calf problems before picking up food poisoning.
With doubts surrounding the future of the former Serie A starlet – who scored 35 goals in 116 league games for the Viola – Jovetic hit the ground running during the Blues' 2014 pre-season tour of the United States.
Bagging braces in International Champions Cup friendlies against Milan and Liverpool, the Montenegrin repeated the feat with another double against the Merseysiders once the new league campaign had kicked off in August.
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, the striker insists he never regretted making the switch to Manchester, admitting an over-eagerness to prove himself in English football contributed to his injury woes.
I heard stories that I was a flop, but I remained calm and focused. I know who I am and how much I’m worth
“No, I never questioned my move,” he says in the November 2014 issue, available in shops and on iPad now. “I knew it would be a difficult task – that I would have to fight for my position – but I never gave up.
“The main reason why last season wasn’t good for me was that I wasn’t fully fit.
"I didn’t pass the whole pre-season preparations, and I was struggling physically. When I went to play for the [Montenegro] national team, I was eager to prove a point, so I fought to my limits and because of that I got injured.
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“I heard stories that I was a flop, but I remained calm and focused. I know who I am and how much I’m worth. Of course I wasn’t happy with my first season, but I scored six goals, which wasn’t so bad seeing as I played so little."
Read the full interview with Stevan Jovetic in the November 2014 issue of FourFourTwo, in which he reveals which Manchester United player's hair he admires. The magazine also unearths the truth behind United’s new No.7, Angel Di Maria, features exclusive interviews with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Barcelona's Gerard Pique, and chats to Seattle Sounders’ Clint Dempsey on the USA captaincy and former Spurs midfielder Darren Anderton on being the poster boy for chronic injury problems. Available now in print and in a specially-designed-for-iPad version.
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
