Jack Rodwell warns English youngsters over joining Man City

Jack Rodwell played 26 games for Manchester City in two seasons

Midfielder Jack Rodwell has warned young English players to think twice before signing for Manchester City.

The 23-year-old joined Sunderland in a £10m deal on Tuesday after playing only 26 games in two seasons at Etihad Stadium.

"I would weigh up your options and ask yourself if you want to be playing regularly," Rodwell said.

"I would ­probably say, 'don't sign now; get as much football as you can'."

He added: "The first thing I'd ask is, 'how good are you?' You just never know - you could go there, do really well and be winning league titles and everything.

"But just because you're English and young, it doesn't mean you're not going to play for Manchester City."

Rodwell, who spent five years at Everton before joining City for £12m in 2012, says a lack of regular first-team football cost him a place in England's World Cup squad in Brazil this summer.

"If I'd been playing regularly for the last two years, I probably would have been there," he said.

Despite struggling with a hamstring injury since moving to City, Rodwell has dismissed the suggestion that he is injury prone.

"Last season, over the course of the whole season, I was injured for about three weeks. I was fit and available for 47 of the 57 games.

"That might surprise quite a lot of people because they probably didn't see my name on the team sheet and just assumed I must be injured.

"I've been fit for a year-and-a-half now. I'm just ready to go."