Former Irish international Stephen Ireland has expressed his anxiety over his future at Manchester City after a difficult season, where poor form, injury and lack of game time has made him mull a move away from the club he joined as a 15-year-old.

After being one of the team's stand out players last season, the influx of new talent and the change in management has left his season in some disarray.

"There is a question mark over next year for me," said the Cobh man this week.

"I don’t know what will happen. I am contracted to City and all I can do is carry on doing my job and performing well when I am called upon. If anything changes during the summer, it will be down to the club, not me."

Despite the security of a long-term deal in his back pocket, the 23-year-old wants to play in the Premier League and not just pick up a wage watching it from the sidelines.

"It has been a difficult year because I care so much about my job," he said.

"I care about my game and about the club, but there is a lot of frustration bottled up because I have not played as much as I would have liked."