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Santa Cruz: Proud

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Roque Santa Cruz has expressed his delight after reaching the 20-goal mark in his first season in England.

The Paraguayan forward has adapted quickly to the demands of the Premier League and he increased his tally with a goal in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the weekend.

He has now scored 16 times in the Premier League and 20 times in all competitions, an achievement he is proud of after arriving at Ewood Park from Bayern Munich last summer.

"I'm very happy with my performance this season," he told the Lancashire Telegraph.

"To score 20 goals in my first season is a big thing for me because I know how hard it is to score goals here, so I'm very happy that I've been able to achieve it.

"I've always watched English football and I know it's hard to hit that mark.

"But I still came here wanting to get 20 goals and I'm pleased that I have done it."

More to come

Santa Cruz was plagued by injuries during his time at Bayern and he admits he can now look forward with greater optimism after putting his fitness problems behind him.

He explained: "In many ways I think I am a better player now (than when I first signed for Blackburn), but I think my form also has a lot to do with my fitness.

"I think next year I will feel even better because I have never had the kind of season I've had this year.

"I've also got the strength to become a better player, so I believe there's more to come."

Back on track

Rovers face Portsmouth, Derby and Birmingham in their remaining three Premier League games and manager Mark Hughes is demanding a strong finish.

He was pleased with the display against Manchester United and has called for the same again in the upcoming matches.

Hughes told the club's official website: "We've set the standard again. We were disappointed with our performance at Liverpool because we didn't really lay a glove on them and the performance was very flat.

"I knew I'd get a response against United and that is certainly what I had.

"We've set the standard, we know exactly how hard we have to run and how hard we have to play to be able to get results at this level, and that will help us in the games we have left."