Supporters of the German Bundesliga club Vfb Stuttgart are starting to question whether their star recruit Marco Rojas has become a bad investment.
The All Whites striker played his first competitive match for his new club on Saturday, in the reserve team against MSV Duisburg, but was substituted after 45 minutes.
During the weekend, Vfb fans have inundated the club's official online forum with their views, again questioning the nimble Kiwi's ability to cope with the physical nature of the Bundesliga. Judging by the comments, some fans have already written Rojas off, while others continue to ask for patience.
Rojas moved to Germany in June but broke a metatarsal in his right foot during his first pre-season match, which put him on the sideline for half the season.
The New Zealander made a brief appearance in a few friendly matches during the Christmas break but a knee injury again played havoc with his Bundesliga adventure.
Stuttgart is struggling near the bottom of the league and team management is keen to get Rojas available for the business end of the season.
Rojas arrived which much fanfare from Melbourne Victory after being crowned Player for the Year in the A-League, so it was no surprise that his return drew an unusual amount of attention.