Source: SKY_Sports
Hughes - Santa Cruz will shine
Mark Hughes has backed Roque Santa Cruz to become a hit at Manchester City after returning to full fitness.
Santa Cruz has been the forgotten man at Eastlands since arriving in the summer in a £17million move from Blackburn after struggling to recover from a knee injury.
The South American striker has fallen out of the spotlight as Hughes splashed over £50million on fellow frontmen Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor.
But after making his debut as a late substitute in City's 3-1 win over West Ham on Monday night, Hughes reckons the former Bayern Munich man can join the likes of Craig Bellamy as an unsung hero in the City side.
"Certainly there were a few eyebrows raised when I brought Craig to the club," said Hughes of the Welsh marksman.
"People doubted him and his ability. I certainly didn't because I knew what I was getting.
Driven"It will be the same with Roque. I know the talent he has. I know the attributes he has and I know what kind of guy he is.
"He is a driven guy. He is ambitious and he wants to win.
"The challenge is there, not just for him and Craig, but everybody in the squad."
And Santa Cruz is relishing the opportunity to get that chance after a torrid six months on the sidelines.
The Paraguayan international struggled with injury in his final months at Blackburn and those problems resurfaced in the early days of pre-season training at City, but the 28-year-old is now ready to make an impact.
"It has been frustrating," he said.
"It is hard for a player not to be involved when the season starts, especially when you are new into the club.
"At the same time I have been very pleased watching the players perform.
"I think we deserve to be where we are in the table because of the hard work we have been doing and the fantastic way we have started the season."
