Source: Telegraph
Manchester City striker Robinho sidelined for another three weeks says Mark Hughes
The £32.5 million British record signing has been out of action since damaging his ankle on international duty earlier this month and has not featured in four of City's seven Premier League matches this season including last night's 3-1 win over West Ham.
Now Hughes has revealed it will not be until the middle of next month that City supporters can expect to see the South American back in action.
"It is still in a pot, so he is not training, just doing work in the gym," Hughes said. "I would imagine it would be another two to three weeks."
But after a summer spending spree which topped £118 million, Robinho's absence is not holding City back from proving themselves a genuine threat to the top of the table.
Last night they swamped Gianfranco Zola's side with their slick attacking play, which allowed them to move into fifth spot with a match in hand over all their rivals.
Former West Ham player Carlos Tevez did most of the damage, giving City a fifth-minute lead before nodding home Craig Bellamy's free-kick after an hour.
However, while Tevez's response was an almost apologetic wave of the hand against his old club, Martin Petrov made a point after drilling home a first-time free-kick, edging towards his manager before pointing to the name on his shirt.
It could have been interpreted as a pointed show of frustration for a player whose proposed deadline-day move to Tottenham did not come off and has been forced to wait for his first start of the campaign.
Hughes preferred to look at it a different way.
"He does it all the time," he said. "He was a really positive influence on the game, which is what we need.
"I don't want players who sit in the stand feeling sorry for themselves. They have to be ready to come on and perform. When opportunities present themselves, you have to be able to make an impact. That is what Martin did."
