Stevan Jovetic’s Manchester City career has so far been anything but smooth sailing. Since first arriving at the Etihad on the back of a bumper £22million deal, the Montenegrin international has simply failed up to live up to the initial expectations which boldly labelled the striker as one of the most promising young talents in the whole of Europe.

Whilst such a status can certainly still be achieved by the no. 35 one day, it seems his career under Manuel Pellegrini is ultimately approaching its twilight stages. After the Chilean’s most recent coup of Swansea’s Wilfried Bony – and the subsequent dropping of Jovetic from City’s Champions League squad – the former Fiorentina man simply seems to have little future left in the fickle world of English football.

As Liverpool have recently emerged as surprise contenders to sign the 25-year-old however, perhaps the Premier League hasn’t quite seen the end of Manchester City’s forgotten man. In light of such news, to what extent could a shock move to Anfield resurrect the somewhat broken career of Stevan Jovetic?

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Prior to signing for the champions back in 2013, the striker who first emerged on the scene with Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade, really did seem to have a bright future ahead of him. Jovetic grew in stature as a reliable finisher in and around the box, as well as a player who wasn’t scared to go for the sublime every now and then. The City man certainly does have a dangerous shot on him, but as he has only notched a mere five goals so far this campaign, his overall contribution has simply not been worthy of his lofty price tag.

That said, a lot of Jovetic’s struggles in the Premier League have been largely based on his more than frustrating injury record. Several lengthy spells on the side-lines have stopped the Montenegrin star from developing any form of consistency at the Etihad. Whilst the former Serie A hero has been forced to wait it out on many occasions with City, the likes of Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko have simply thrived in his place. With Wilfried Bony also expected to be given a degree of priority status at his new club – the signs simply don’t look too promising for the once widely backed Jovetic.

With the bustling striker seemingly failing to establish himself in England, several Serie A outfits have subsequently been linked with the City no. 35, most notably Inter Milan, Juventus and former employers Fiorentina.  However, in light of Liverpool’s recent struggles in the striking department, Brendan Rodgers is also supposedly keen on landing the City bench-warmer.

Although Stevan Jovetic certainly still carries with him a great deal of potential at only 25-years-old, such a deal would nonetheless feel like a mistake if it were to ever be completed. The former Fiorentina man simply hasn’t shown an incredible amount of promise for his current side – and with the Premier League proving a seemingly difficult prospect for many of Europe’s most hyped players – to suggest that Jovetic would perform a great shot better at Liverpool would seem unorthodox at best.

As he represent a more mobile striker than the likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert however, perhaps there is in-fact method in the somewhat madness of this transfer story.

The struggling striker nevertheless remains tied down to Manchester City for the rest of the season. With this whole saga being played out in less than fairy-tale like circumstances, Stevan Jovetic’s Premier League troubles should go down as a stark warning to any up-and-coming young talents looking to sign for a team with the financial power of City - although the club may adore such players at first, the magnitude of money on offer allows it’s managers to become quickly bored of their once priceless talents.

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