Prior to Manchester City’s Capital One Cup success against Sunderland, midfielder Fernandinho had been speaking to the club’s website about his time in England.
The Brazilian has been a resounding success in Manchester and his absence on a few occasions this season has coincided with City normally falling to a defeat.
He was coy about his level of performances since moving to the Premier League but was thankful to various people for making him feel welcomed.
“The people in Manchester have welcomed me very well, the people from the club, from the city – for me it is a pleasure to live here,” Fernandinho said.
“I arrived here and saw another culture, I am still learning about a lot of things and, for me, it’s been a very good experience.
“Christmas time was very difficult as there were so many games but it was also a very good experience for me, I’ve never played before in this period, in this month and I hope that fans agree that I showed a good level of performance.”
The Seleção midfielder saved his most endearing praise for manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Fernandinho added: “The manager helps – he talks with every player, when he wants to explain something to you, what you need to do on the pitch, he comes to talk to you one-on-one.
“When you have a good relationship with the manager it helps your performance – it is very important, too.”
