Wilfried Bony focused on fitness for Manchester City

The Ivory Coast international staying in Manchester to continue working on his fitness alone at the City Football Academy.

Wilfried Bony wearing his new Manchester City strip. Manchester City FC via AP Images

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony expects to be fit for the start of the new season.

Bony was unable to travel with the first-team squad for their pre-season tour of Australia and Vietnam due to illness.

The Ivory Coast international has now recovered but is staying in Manchester to continue working on his fitness alone at the City Football Academy.

Bony told City TV: “I was ill, now it is okay. I feel stronger than last week, so I am happy about that.

“At the beginning it was hard. There were a lot of discussions with the coach and doctor but they said it was better for me to stay here than almost 24 hours flying.

“I was a little bit disappointed but I did not choose to be ill. I have had to deal with that. Now I am okay, I am very happy and training.

“I think everything is clear so I am just waiting to do my best for the season.”

Bony signed for City from Swansea in a £28million (Dh160m) deal in January but is yet to make a big impact for the club.

The 26-year-old did not play for a month due to the African Nations Cup and then had ankle and knee problems before the end of the campaign, registering just two goals for City.

He now hopes to put that behind him and hit the ground running in 2015/16.

He said: “Before the end of the season I came from Africa to join another team. You need to change a lot of things, and you need to train and be ready for the games, so it is not easy.

“I can say there were good moments and bad moments - but it is more important to think about what is coming now. It is about getting fit and trying to do my best for the new season.”

Follow us on twitter at ‪@NatSportUAE‬