Hughes hits back at rivals

MANCHESTER City manager Mark Hughes believes some of his Premier League peers may indulge in mind games because they never made it to the top as players.

City are determined to challenge the Premier League’s big four this season and have gone on a huge summer spending spree backed by the almost limitless wealth of club owner Sheikh Mansour.

This attempt to fast–track themselves to the top has been criticised by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who described City as a “small club with a small mentality” while Arsenal and Liverpool counterparts Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez have attacked the way City’s spending has distorted the transfer market.

Hughes, who played with distinction for Manchester United and Barcelona among others, questioned whether some managers spoke out as they did because they had never been able to let their feet do the talking.