Hughes confident over job

15 May 2009 09:22
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has reiterated that he is not concerned by speculation which suggests he could be sacked in the summer. The former Blackburn boss replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson at Eastlands last June as an appointment of ex-club owner Thaksin Shinawatra. However, Sheikh Mansour took over the Premier League outfit three months later and there has been conjecture that the United Arab Emirates-based billionaire is unimpressed with the return on the money he has invested. With 10th-placed City far from certain of booking a place in Europe, rumour suggests that Hughes, who has two years left on his contract, could be made a scapegoat in the close-season. But the Welshman is unconcerned, telling the Daily Star: "I have two years left on my contract. Comfortable"People talking about me and my job is just water off a duck's back. I don't lose sleep over that. "I am comfortable with the length of contract that I have. It's not an issue I have tried to force. "The onus is not on me to demand extra years. If the club want to, they will look at it. "I think we have made strides on the field and I have a stronger team than the one I inherited. "We are in a lot better shape to hit the ground running next season." Transfer targets Meanwhile, Hughes hopes to complete his business in the transfer market before his squad are due to return from the approaching summer break. But the City chief, who has been linked with Carlos Tevez and Genoa's Diego Milito, admits attempting to secure targets can prove frustrating. "Ideally, as a manager and a club we would like players signed and sealed for the first day of pre-season," he told Sky Sports News. "But that doesn't happen on many occasions. That is the ideal. We will work hard and try and make that happen. "But the reality is that, on occasions, we will have to wait until the last minute of the last day, probably."

Source: SKY_Sports