Manchester City star Elano admits the Ukraine winters contributed to him failing to settle at former club Shakhtar Donetsk.

"I never got used to those freezing Ukrainian winters," he told the official Manchester City magazine. "Temperatures dropped to minus 23 at times. Coming from a warm climate like Brazil it made life very hard for me and it did affect my game.

"Everything was different from the rock-hard pitches to the extra footwear and extra clothing I wore to keep warm.

"I had to learn to speak Russian too, so it was a completely different experience, although having been there for two years, I think I managed to beat the cold in the end."

The Brazilian added: "I am enjoying every minute of my time at Manchester City.

"It would be nice to see a few more of my fellow countrymen come here.

"Brazil means passion. A lot of people around the world try to harm one another but in my country, football is more important than anything else."