Wilfried Bony is aware he has not been at his best at Manchester City but the robust Ivory Coast international striker is confident fans will see him deliver sooner rather than later.
Bony was prised away from Swansea City in a deal worth £25million in January but the Ivorian has struggled in Manchester, scoring just once in 10 appearances, while he has only started two matches.
Injuries and international duty have conspired against Bony, and the 26-year-old is determined to justify his price tag, come next season.
"It's been a difficult time here at City, but this is football," Bony said.
"I can't choose the international programme; I can't choose the time to be injured.
"Of course I would like to have been here more, to be fit and to be scoring. But that is something you can't control.
"All I can do now is work, try and help my team, but I like it here, this club is always fighting, the pressure is everywhere and I am not afraid about that.
"Next season is when you will see the real Bony at City.
"I just need to prepare myself for next season. We'll see how I do then."
Sunday will see Bony return to Liberty Stadium for the first time since leaving Swansea, where he scored 34 goals in 70 matches.
Bony is hoping for a warm reception from the home faithful.
"They will say, 'He's not playing there at City, only a couple of minutes, he should not have left', but this is part of football, it is what it is, and you can't be loved by everyone," he added.
"They will be looking for me coming back and hopefully I will enjoy it. It could be good or it could be bad, but of course I would love to score back at Swansea."
