 However, once compatriot coach Claudio Ranieri left the club, he found his first team appearances becoming less frequent, as he fell out of form.He was loaned back to Italy, playing for Parma for the 2005–06 season, in which he scored ten times in 36 appearances.In the 2006 close season he was sold by Valencia to Manchester City for an undisclosed fee on 20 July, signing a three-year contract with the Premier League club.