Ireland unsure of City stay

(GSM) – Stephen Ireland has admitted that he is unsure about his future with Manchester City.

The Irish player, who rose through City’s youth ranks, has struggled to make an impact this year, with only 16 Premier League starts and a further six appearances from the bench.

Injury, illness and loss of form combined have relegated the the virtual ever-present from last season to spending much of the campaign on the bench.

City’s failure to reach the Champions League berth next season means a number of changes in the squad, and Ireland knows he could be one of the players who faces the axe.

“There is a question mark over next year for me,” he told the Manchester Evening News.

“I don’t know what will happen. I am contracted to City and all I can do is carry on doing my job and performing well when I am called upon.

“If anything changes during the summer it will be down to the club, not me. It has been a difficult year because I care so much about my job.

“I care about my game and about the club but there is a lot of frustration bottled up because I have not played as much as I would have liked.”