Hughes happy to be patient

MANCHESTER City boss Mark Hughes is willing to wait for the right deal as he looks to put the finishing touches to his squad.

City were among the first clubs to enter the transfer market this summer when they swooped to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, and Hughes has since completed deals to bring forwards Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Roque Santa Cruz to the club.

But Hughes’ attempts to improve the City defence have so far been met with frustration as Chelsea insist John Terry is not for sale and Everton have rejected an opening offer for Joleon Lescott.

While Hughes admits he wants deals done as soon as possible, he will not rush unnecessarily.

“At the beginning of the season, we wanted all the players in the building to start training, but we are prepared to wait,” he said during the club’s pre–season tour of South Africa.

“It is all about giving the deal the opportunity to develop. We want to strengthen our defence but we will concentrate on what we are doing here (in South Africa) first.”

City’s pursuit of Terry – a move which once again demonstrates the huge ambition of the Eastlands club – is being played out in public, and that is to the frustration of Hughes who has rejected the notion that City are in any way guilty of tapping up the England captain.

“We made a bid for John but we tried to keep it under the radar,” Hughes said.

“Chelsea allowed the bid to enter the public domain and ever since I have been answering questions on the matter.

“There was no issue that needed to be raised.”

Hughes must now decide whether to play Tevez against the Kaizer Chiefs in Durban tonight.

Tevez joined the squad at the weekend but remains a major doubt due to a heel problem he sustained before his arrival at the club.

“It may be too soon to play him tonight, but we hope he will play a part in the game.

“Gareth Barry will take part, but Emmanuel Adebayor will not arrive in time.”

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has declared Carlos Tevez was not worth the £25million his advisors wanted to turn his "lease" period into a permanent deal with United.

Tevez joined cash–rich City, ending an acrimonious parting with his former Old Trafford boss, who the Argentina star accused of not treating him with respect.

Ferguson did attempt to keep Tevez but only after trying to knock down a price that had previously been agreed with the player's long–time advisor Kia Joorabchian.

And, while many United fans are still unhappy at Tevez's loss, in the brutal final analysis, Ferguson just considered the price to be too high.

"I didn't think he was worth £25m – that's just my judgment, maybe I am wrong," said Ferguson.

"The fans quite rightly have their heroes and I respect them, so I was happy to go along with a deal as long as it was the right one – but he was simply not worth £25m."