Valeri Bojinov was thrilled with his comeback for Manchester City in their victory over Sunderland.

The Bulgaria striker told City's website: "Being out was frustrating, but I'm a young player and my head is very strong. I said 'Boji, you want to get back to playing big-time football and you must work hard for that.'

"I knew that I had to stay strong, and I am a naturally strong person - not just on the football pitch, but in everything, the PlayStation as well!

"Being injured in the warm-up is just the worst, but that's football and you have to accept it. Everything changed for me, but every player knows he lives with the possibility. You can only look after yourself when you are fit - try to train better, eat better, sleep better."

It was only Bojinov's second start since joining from Serie A club Fiorentina in August, 2007 as one of the highest-rated young strikers in Europe, and he said: "I enjoyed it greatly because I don't like to be not playing.

"I don't want to be sitting on the bench for the game. So when the boss says, 'Boji, I want you to play,' I was very happy and enjoyed seeing my name up there on the board before the kick off.

"I played an hour and there were no problems, so for me this is very important. I'm very happy that everything is OK. I want to say a big 'thank you' to the boss for giving me the possibility to play in the Premier League.

"It has been very hard for me because of the injuries. I say a big 'thank you' to the physio, the medical staff, my team - everybody here. They have helped me to get over a frustrating time. Now I'm back to normal and I hope I can score a goal for them next time."

Boji was moved by the ovation when he made way for Craig Bellamy. He smiled: "I say to our fans thank you for supporting me - I want to be able to play well for your club, to play well and score goals for the team. I'm happy when we score, whether it is me or not, but I want to get my share of goals."