Manchester City midfielder Fernando has revealed that he is back in top condition ahead of the new season after an injury-plagued debut campaign in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old joined the club from FC Porto last summer, but started just 22 league games all season as the club failed to win a trophy.
He claims that a groin injury hampered his campaign, but warned that he is raring to go for the opening match against West Bromwich Albion in two weeks.
He is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail: "For me, the thing about last season was that I played a lot of the games with pain. That limited my capabilities. Every time I ran it was painful.
"It was a very difficult year but when you get into a big team with such an opportunity you want to give your best. That's what I tried to do last season. Obviously it didn't go very well for me because of the pain but I'm looking forward to giving my best again.
"I've been working very hard. I've been able to do the whole pre-season so that makes me very happy. Now I feel 100% fit and I'm just looking forward to getting going again. I'm very optimistic about the start of the new season."
City finished eight points behind champions Chelsea last term.
Charlie Bennett
