Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland insists the squad is united after a flurry of new arrivals this summer.

He told The Sun: "The attention on us is amazing. But you have to look on it in a good way. You WANT to have the spotlight on you. You WANT that pressure.

"We have worked on how to use it to our advantage and we don't think of it as negative pressure.

"We've concentrated hard on getting the team spirit right and really coming together as a group.

"Kolo Toure has just come in but it already feels like he has been here for years and that he has been a friend for ages. Emmanuel Adebayor is the same.

"All the players are determined to help each other, and to help develop great team morale.

"We know what we want to achieve - we want to be champions. Our fans have waited too long for some silverware."