Striker Santa Cruz set to leave Blackburn

London, April 21 (DPA) Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz has told Blackburn Rovers that he will leave the club at the end of the season, according to media reports Tuesday.

The 27 year old, who is recovering after knee surgery last week, made the revelation on a Paraguayan radio station.

'I have already told them (Blackburn) and they know that before the transfer window closes I would like to continue my career at a bigger, more ambitious team,' he told Radio Nanduti.

'Even though I haven't heard anything, I haven't changed my mind.'

Blackburn lie fourth bottom of the table, in danger of relegation, and with Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts also injured, are so short of strikers that they have been playing centre-back Christopher Samba as a striker.

Santa Cruz admitted he is unlikely to play for Blackburn again.

'I think it will be very difficult for me to play again this season because of the recovery,' he said.

'Our last league match is on May 24 and I also need a couple of days for my knee to physically recover.'

An arthroscopy in Germany last week showed 'a minor degree of wear and tear' in the knee.

'I had to clean the zone of the cruciate ligament operation I had three or four years ago because there was some liquid there,' Santa Cruz went on.

'When I had the tendonitis in the left knee, it made the other leg overwork. That's why it got worse and I needed the surgery.

'Now, it is up to the knee. The recovery time is between four and six weeks and I will not hurry. The most important thing is to play without any problems.

'I will wait for my knee to be perfect, no matter how long it takes.'