Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has insisted that he is desperate to start more games at the Etihad and believes that his current form merits a first-team place.

Dzeko has made a crucial impact from the bench in successive away games for City, scoring late winners against Fulham and West Bromwich Albion in recent weeks.

The Bosnian forward made it four goals as a substitute so far this season with his decisive strike at the Hawthorns but is adamant that he will never be happy if he is not starting matches.

He told reporters: "The manager is there to pick the team and I'm there when the team needs me, but I was never a super-sub, even before I came to Manchester City.

"I always used to play from the beginning in Germany and I scored a lot of goals, not as a sub.

"In the last few games the situation has been like this and I'm just happy to be scoring goals but I will never be a super-sub, I want to play."

Victory over West Bromwich Albion kept City in third place in the Premier League, four points behind current leaders Chelsea.