London, Oct. 15 : Brazil football star Robinho, who is wanted by Barcelona in January''s transfer window, faces a fight to reclaim his place in the Manchester City squad, according to the club''s assistant boss, Mark Bowen.

Bowen, right-hand man to City boss Mark Hughes, said: "Robinho is a naturally-fit guy who doesn''t carry a lot of weight.

"So, once he''s back training with the group, it doesn''t take him much time to be right. But, he''s no different from any other player in the squad in that he''ll be fighting for a place when he regains his fitness, The Mirror quoted Bowen, as saying.

"Anybody who watches top-level football knows that''s always the case now, and we''re no different. Things can change so quickly though. A week is a long time in this game. An injury or two and you''re back in the side, then it''s up to you to make sure you stay there," he added.

While City have maintained publicly that Robinho is not for sale, Barcelona''s persistent courting of the 25-year-old means a January exit now seems inevitable.

City are keen to add defensive cover in January and could use Robinho as bait in a player-plus-cash deal with Barcelona''s Carles Puyol or Eric Abidal coming the other way. (ANI)