Di Canio still rates Magera (From This Is Swindon Town FC)

Di Canio still rates Magera

6:00am Thursday 28th June 2012 in Headlines By Sam Morshead

PAOLO Di Canio conceded Lukas Magera and English football never got along after it was confirmed that the Czech striker would be leaving the County Ground yesterday.

Magera, a free transfer from Romanian outfit Poli Timisoara in August last year, was supposed to be one of Di Canio’s star signings last year.

However, the 29-year-old failed to settle in the Football League, scoring just once in his 15 appearances for the Robins before a loan move back to former club Banik Ostrava.

Magera has not returned for pre-season training with Swindon and the club yesterday admitted that his contract had been cancelled by mutual consent.

For Di Canio, the forward’s inability to find a home away from home in SN1 was a disappointment but he tried to shoulder at least a share of the blame.

“It’s obvious that he was an international player because he has three caps with the Czech Republic so he was a good player,” said the Town manager.

“But once he arrived here, the tempo in England is completely different and he found it very difficult to play with this tempo that in England you have to handle for 95 minutes.

“Obviously it’s not his fault, it’s my fault because if I signed him it was obvious that it was my fault.

“But he is a very good player, he played at the top level in the Czech Republic, so it means he’s a good player.

“I didn’t read properly the league but fortunately I discovered very soon that I should change it.

“Not because Magera is not a good player but because he’s not the player who could play - in my opinion - at the top level in England.”