Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is convinced Elano Blumer will be a huge fans' favourite this season.

He said: "I think he is a fantastic player. I saw him before this summer's Copa America but if you watched those games he was absolutely incredible and if you are a great player on that stage you can play football anywhere in the world.

"Elano has vision and technique, of course he has, but he is also someone who works very hard and is also physically strong.

"He is not Micah Richards but he is not weak and he will cope with the Premier League, I have no doubt about that.

"He will get better and fitter too. When he arrived at City he had not done any physical work since the Copa America and he had not even practised with us for a whole week when he produced that performance at West Ham.

"But he will not always play in the position he did on Saturday at West Ham. He can also play behind two strikers, in a less attacking midfield role or out wide."