Manchester City’s (11/8 to beat Liverpool) Emmanuel Adebayor has hinted he could leave the Eastlands club in the January transfer window.
The 26-year-old was left on the bench when City (8/13 for a top four finish) started their Premier League campaign at Spurs last weekend, and sought out boss Roberto Mancini to discuss his future at the club.
“I had a chat with the manager after the Spurs game which was good. But managers can change,” he told The People.
“Today they love you and then you think you are going to be moving.
“I don’t want to look too far into the future. Who knows? By January maybe the manager will tell me to leave – or maybe I will ask to leave.
“What is important for me is to have clear focus on playing for City and fighting for my place in the team and that is what I intend to do.
“As a footballer you have lots of difficult times. Being sat on the bench for the first game of the season at Tottenham was tough for me and I admit I was a little bit upset.”
Adebayor, capped 38 times by his country, made his name with Metz when he scored 17 goals in 35 games in the 2002-03 season, before a spell with Monaco which saw him help the French club to the Champions League final.
He spent three years at Arsenal, bagging 46 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners, before City paid a fee of around £25million for him in July 2009, and has since scored 14 goals in 26 games.
Adebayor says his outlook on the game, and life in general, changed after he was involved in a near-death experience when the Togo team bus he was travelling on was ambushed by gunman en route to the African Nations Cup earlier this year.
An assistant coach and the team’s press officer – plus a driver – were killed and Adebayor said he was forced to re-evaluate his life.
“I have the chance to be alive when I could have been dead after what happened at the Cup of Nations,” he added.
“That experience can maybe make me a bit awkward as I know what I want now. My priority from now on is always going to be my family.
“But, you have to fight for your place. I am very happy to be part of this club and I love the challenge of making it at City.
“Now I’m waiting for my chance. I’m playing for one of the big teams in England and all I need now is to be playing games and scoring goals.”
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