End of the road for McManaman.

In a non too suprising move, and one which will end lingering fears for many Blues, the club announced that Steve McManaman will be released by the club when his contract ends next month.
It had been widely expected and with the salary McManaman was on at City, there was no real way the club could have afforded to offer him a new deal - even if they wanted to.
It has been a frustrating two years for him in a blue shirt as a succession of injuries meant he never got a decent run of form together, and when he did play, consistently disappointed fans with lacklustre displays which culminated in him being booed when he came on as a substitute away at Oldham in the FA Cup.
It was all a far cry from his debut at home to Villa, when he stepped in to replace the departed Berkovic in the centre and controlled the game in a fantastic 4-1 win. He really did look the part and seemed set to add a touch of class to the midfield. However, Keegan appeared to prefer him on the left of the midfield four and his own game had changed during his spell in Madrid meaning he was more suited to that central role.
I expect him to retire from football altogether, as he doesn't need a big pay day in the Middle East or America and I don't believe he is the sort of player who will relish dropping down a division just to extend his career.
Overall, it will be sad though when he does look back on his career and sees two years at City which promised and should have delivered so much more.