ROQUE Santa Cruz has moved to quell speculation concerning his future by insisting he has no desire to leave Blackburn Rovers this summer.
The Paraguay international is inevitably attracting attention following a brilliant debut season in the Premier League, with Manchester United the latest club to be linked with a move for Rovers' top scorer.
However, the 26-year-old, who bagged his 21st goal of a hugely productive campaign in the 1-0 victory at Portsmouth on Sunday, has stressed he is happy at Rovers and is not contemplating moving elsewhere at this stage in his career.
Referring to the recent speculation, Santa Cruz said: "I don't think a lot about it.
"The important thing for me is I'm very happy at Blackburn, and my family is very happy.
"It's important for me that I am playing regularly and the manager here has given me confidence in myself.
"So I'm not thinking about going anywhere else, I'm just enjoying my time here and I'm very happy."
Snapped up for £3.8m from Bayern Munich last summer, Santa Cruz has proved to be one of the signings of the season, having made a remarkable impact during his first year in English football.
Prior to this season, the Paraguayan was never particularly prolific during eight seasons in Germany, so even he admits his scoring record this term has surpassed expectations.
"It's better than I was expecting," he confessed.
"When I came here, I was thinking I might get 12, or maybe 15 goals, and that would be fantastic.
"But since I got to that target I've just been enjoying the games more and more because I haven't put any pressure on myself."
Not surprisingly, Santa Cruz's goalscoring form has alerted some of Rovers' rivals, with Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and now United, all linked with swoops for the South American.
However, the player himself insists he is content where he is.
"There is no real need to change," said Santa Cruz.
"I do have goals in life, and in my career, but right now I just want to enjoy the moment.
"Of course I am hungry to win more titles, and play in Europe, and do this and that.
"But maybe it's step by step and coming here was a big step in my career, so I just need to concentrate on that and make sure I give one hundred per cent.
"I'm not the kind of person who is always thinking about the things you choose in your life, I just go through and do the best that I can.
"But I can look back behind me and say I made the right choice in coming here."
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