Santa Cruz says he is fully focused on playing for Blackburn
Roque Santa Cruz insists he is happy to still be at Blackburn after the club rebuffed Manchester City's attempts to sign him during the transfer window.
The 27-year-old Paraguay striker was the subject of several bids from City, but said being at Ewood Park was like being part of a family.
"Of course I'm happy. Blackburn has given to me a family and a big chance to keep playing football," he said.
"I am very thankful to the club and I am enjoying every single moment."
Santa Cruz was signed by former Rovers manager Mark Hughes in July 2007 for around �3.5m from Bayern Munich and has become a key player for the club.
He has been quoted as saying that he would like to play for a bigger club, but denies trying to engineer a move, adding that he is focused on helping Rovers move away from the foot of the table.
"It was always going to be in Blackburn's hands, not mine and it was best for them to deal with the situation," he stated.
"I have enjoyed every single moment here. I am a bit spoiled because people have always treated me very kindly here.
"I am happy things have settled down and I am able to work without people saying a lot of things.
"I can now focus on helping the team get points. The players may have got used to my situation but I tried to keep it as far away as possible from them."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?