Santos star Robinho underperformed at Man City - Bowen

Robinho struggled in his second season with Manchester City

Brazilian star Robinho was never up to the demands of the Premier League, according to former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes' assistant Mark Bowen.

Robinho, 26, arrived at Eastlands for a record British transfer fee of £32.4m in 2008 but faded after a bright start.

"He took a lot of stick, but he did massively underperform, especially away from home," said Bowen.

"I just thought that, physically, he wasn't really up to the challenges of the Premier League."

Robinho left Manchester City in January, rejoining his first club Santos on loan for six months, and Bowen, who left Eastlands along with sacked former manager Mark Hughes in December, believes he will prosper in a more familiar environment.

"There is no doubting that if and when he went to another league, or back to Brazil, it would be a different style of football and it would suit him better," said Bowen.

"We always felt he could possibly blossom and get used to the Premier League but he wasn't really up to the week in week out challenges."

Robinho made 41 appearances for City in a solid first season that saw him finish as the club's top scorer with 15 goals.

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But he has struggled during the current campaign, scoring just once in 12 appearances before his move to Santos.

In January, in City's 2-0 defeat at Everton, he suffered the humiliation of being substituted by new Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, having come on a replacement earlier in the same game.

However, his loan move started in more positive fashion as he came off the bench on his debut to score the winner against Sao Paulo.