Spanish star is up for the physical battle of the Premier League.
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Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo has promised to start living up to his nickname of ‘the beast’ and fire the club to another Premier League title, the Daily Mail reports.
The 28-year-old was known in his homeland as ‘The Beast of Vallecas’ thanks to his strength and physical approach to the game, something which he is convinced will help him settle into the demanding rhythm of the Premier League.
Negredo, who signed for City in a £20.6million move from Sevilla this summer, was instrumental in the 4-1 derby demolition of Manchester United, with the Spaniard bullying centre-backs Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, creating space for Sergio Aguero, Jesus Navas and Samir Nasri to run United ragged.
“It’s [The Beast] a nickname I like,” Negredo said, “It was given to me while I was playing in Spain so I hope they can call me that over here as well. Hopefully the way I played against United will convince them to do it. I will be happy if they do.
“I always enjoy a physical battle. (Nemanja) Vidic is a very strong player, very aggressive but I enjoyed that sort of contact with an opponent. As long as opponents play fair it’s not a problem to me because I’m always ready for the challenge.”
“I was very happy in Seville but I’m pleased with the move I made. I feel good over here and I feel I have adapted well to the English game, I really like it.”
City lost out to cross city neighbours United in the title race last season, and have responded by hiring a new manager and spending close to £100m on new players this summer.
The summer signings have already made a positive start to life in England, with Negredo and Stevan Jovetic each scoring twice, while the speedy Jesus Navas has made a blistering start to life on the right wing and Fernandinho appears to be the perfect partner for Yaya Toure in midfield.
“We have new players from all over Europe but I have played with Jesus Navas for a long time and we know each other very well,” Negredo added, “Fernandinho is player of immense quality. Stevan Jovetic has been affected by injuries but he is going to be a phenomenal player for the club. My feeling is that the quality here is very good.
“We just look to play our best and hopefully we can win the Premier League.”