Negredo: Pellegrini lost faith in me

Valencia loanee Alvaro Negredo said he left Manchester City because he lost the trust of manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Negredo returned to his homeland at the start of the season, joining La Liga outfit Valencia on loan with a view to a permanent move after falling down the pecking order at City.

The 29-year-old Spain international striker ended the 2013-14 campaign without a goal in 16 games as City won the Premier League and League Cup, leading to suggestions his dip in form was due to homesickness.

Negredo, however, denied those reports by claiming City boss Pellegrini lost faith in him.

“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,” Negredo told the Daily Mail.

“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. 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 [Sergio 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.”

Negredo, who has scored six goals in all competitions for Nuno Espirito Santo’s Valencia this season, added: “I began to lose my confidence but I didn’t give up. I trained harder than ever and tried to show Pellegrini I deserved to play.

“In the end, though, when you do all that and you still don’t get a game, it’s difficult. I need to play for a manager who wants me.

“I came on as a sub but it was almost to waste time. On the last day with the trophy, Zaba [Pablo Zabaleta] said: ‘This is yours, you have been fighting for it like anybody else, so make sure you enjoy it.’ In my head, I knew I’d played a big part but it was hard to feel part of it. I felt cold.”