Benjani In Platforms For The Black Cats

Benjani has taken the train to Sunderland having played what is sure to have been his last game in sky blue...

The likeable 31 year old Zimbabwean has moved to The Mackems on loan until the end of the season.

Having finally arrived at City in early February 2008 after a protracted, ropey transfer saga from Portsmouth, the big man will forever go down in City folklore as the man who scored the winner in the Munich Memorial Derby at Old Trafford only days after his arrival.

Since then, injuries have thwarted any chance of consistency from him. His other finest moment with us was in leading the line as a lone striker for an injury ravaged City at Schalke where The Blues ran out stylish 2-0 winners last season.

But in the bigger picture, Benjani can only point to a miserable 24 starts and 4 goals across two years at Eastlands in all competitions.

Benjani now joins four other strikers in City's current Loan Legion:

Felipe Caicedo -Sporting Lisbon, Jo - Galatasaray, Valeri Bojinov - Parma, Robinho - Santos, Donal McDermott - Scunthorpe, Javan Vidal - Derby, Ryan McGivern - Leicester, Paul Marshall - Aberdeen, Donal McDermott - Scunthorpe, Adam Clayton - to Carlisle, Joe Hart - Birmingham, Clayton McDonald - Walsall, Shaleum Logan - Tranmere and Vladimir Weiss - Bolton.

This means Roberto Mancini's strike force which was relentlessly pilloried by hacks and Sir Alex Taggart as being 10 players strong under Mark Hughes last summer now consists of Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.

Certainly Bellaminho and Crocky have had repeated knee problems throughout their career and it's up front where Blues worldwide will be hoping for a clean bill of health as we arrive at the business end of the season.

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