Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has insisted that manager Manuel Pellegrini has not explained his lack of playing time in recent weeks, declaring that he is desperate to start more matches and prove his worth.

Dzeko has been left out of the starting XI for City's last four Premier League games, failing to start since scoring against Aston Villa in late September.

The Bosnian forward has netted in each of his last two appearances from the bench and believes that he deserves a chance to play more regularly, admitting that he is growing frustrated with falling behind Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo in Pellgrini's pecking order.

He told The Mirror: "It could be better on both sides, for me and the team, definitely. But I need to play more than I am. I've only started four games in the Premier League.

"But if you put me in there for 90 minutes, everything is possible. The first game of the season I played well, I just didn't score. The second game I scored, then the manager changed me. I don't know why.

"I think I could definitely have played more than I have done. It's difficult because you don't have a run of games, then you come into the team after maybe four games and sometimes you want to do well, but you can't do it."

The 27-year-old's strike rate for City is impressive despite his reduced playing time, with six goals in 11 appearances across all competitions.