Manchester City goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon says he's not moved to England to be a permanent reserve.

The 6ft 8in Romanian was in top form on Tuesday as City broke their 35-year Arsenal hoodoo with a Carling Cup win.

Pantilimon, on loan from Timisoara, made brilliant first-half stops to keep the Gunners at bay.

Now he plans to make his move to the Etihad permanent and eventually nick Hart's place as City's first-choice stopper.

Pantilimon, 24, told The Sun: "I'll wait for a chance to come. I don't have a deadline set as I need patience if I want to succeed in England.

"Hart is a great keeper, he's England's No 1 - but I'll fight for my chance.

"Still, let's take it step by step. Joe Hart sent me a message before the game to say good luck and I thanked him, he is a great guy.

"I am honoured to be the first Romanian player at City. I hope I will do well as it's important for me, for my career.

"Everything's great here. The atmosphere is different from the one I was used to in Romania.

"All the people at City, from the staff to my colleagues, ask me how I feel every time they see me. They are not stars, they are normal people and that's fantastic."