Sven Goran Eriksson declared himself to be absolutely delighted with his Brazilian midfielder Elano.
Swede so happy with his Brazilian star schemer
Sven Goran Eriksson declared himself to be absolutely delighted with his Brazilian midfielder Elano, in the aftermath of his match-winning display against Middlesbrough.
The talented South American was at the hub of City's best work at Eastlands and scored two fine goals in the 3-1 victory.
Last week he netted a majestic free-kick against Newcastle and having scored another set piece on Sunday, Eriksson made no secret of his admiration.
"Elano has always been an important player for us," said Eriksson.
"If we give him the ball, we know he will keep it - and now he is starting to score goals as well, so I can't ask for any more than that.
"The big difference between Elano now and when he arrived is his fitness levels.
"He is fitter and stronger and works in the gym as well, which is good.
"Maybe he will not maintain that standard all the time - but maybe sometimes he will do even better. I certainly don't need to teach him about football."
Bitter blow
Eriksson went on to confirm that home-grown talent Michael Johnson, another player key to City's impressive start to the season, is nursing a groin injury that could require surgery.
"Michael is not 100 per cent," he added.
"He trains one day, then he misses one - and this has been going on for quite a long time now.
"He is going to report for duty with the England Under 21 squad on Tuesday, and we will take it from there. He might require an operation, or they might think he can recover totally."
