Manchester City's homesick Suree longs to return home

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Manchester City's Thai international Suree Sukha, on loan at Grasshoppers Zurich, wants to leave the club because he is homesick and lonely.

The unlucky fullback, offloaded to the Swiss side after being denied a work permit in Britain, said he would return to Thailand and let City decide where to send him next.

He has been unable to play in the Grasshoppers first team and said the reserve side is substandard.

"I don't know anything about my future," a dejected Suree told the Bangkok Post.

"It's difficult for me to improve because the standards of the reserve side are similar to that of a third division club in Thailand," he said, adding that he was "very lonely".

Suree, whose $940 a month salary increased tenfold when he signed a three-year deal with Premier League Manchester City in November, wants to join one of City's affiliate clubs in China or Australia, or play in Japan's J-League.

City signed Suree and fellow Thais Teerasil Dangda and Kiatprawut Saiwaew shortly after controversial Thai billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra bought the club last year.

Teerasil is also at Grasshoppers and Kiatprawut is on loan at Belgian side Club Brugge.

Critics dismissed the signings as a publicity stunt by Thaksin, the ousted former Thai prime minister, four weeks ahead of an election, which was won by a party run by his supporters.