Source: Telegraph
Mark Hughes wants to 'knock Manchester United off their perch'
It was the statement that went on to define the past two decades of English football but, having helped Ferguson achieve his goal as a player, Hughes says that is exactly what he is now trying to do to his old manager. Asked if 'knocking United off their perch would be his greatest achievement,' he said: 'Absolutely. They've been successful over a significant period of football history, so to be able to overcome them or maybe change the make-up of the Premier League is a challenge in itself. To be able to do that you have to be able to overcome teams and clubs like Manchester United.'[LNB]Hughes was unable to resist a little geographical barb as he continued: 'The fact that they're in the same city as us, well, not quite, they are the benchmark of what we have to try to achieve and if we can get anywhere near that then we've done remarkably well.'[LNB]Football Fixtures 2009/2010: ChampionshipCity spent £120 million on six major signings during the summer, most controversially taking Carlos Tévez from United in a £25.5 million deal. Tévez could feature today but looks unlikely to start the game, having trained yesterday with heavy strapping on his knee.[LNB]Hughes said he would have no qualms about playing him against his former club despite last week's mayhem when Emmanuel Adebayor faced Arsenal. 'He obviously wants to play,' he said. 'He's very keen and would like to be involved. I don't have any concerns about how he'll react. He's got a great deal of affection for them and he's thankful for the stage that he was allowed to play on.[LNB]'If Carlos plays, I am sure he would love to score against United, as would any professional player. Given his relationship with the United fans, I am sure he would celebrate in the right manner.' [LNB]During the summer Ferguson questioned City's transfer policy and was irritated by a provocative 'Welcome to Mancheter' poster of Tévez placed symbolically on the border of the city centre and Salford. It led to the United manager claiming his neighbours were 'cocky' and 'arrogant', while maintaining that the genuine threat to United comes from Chelsea and Liverpool.[LNB]Ferguson, who decided not to match Real Madrid's valuation for Lyon's Karim Benzema in the summer despite losing Tévez and receiving £80 million from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo, has again hinted at his bemusement at City's spending spree by insisting that this summer's transfer market offered little value and is adamant he has no regrets over Tévez. 'Believe me, I'm not the slightest bit worried about it,' he said. 'I could have bought someone at £52 million if I thought they were worth it, but I didn't think anyone was worth it. I didn't think there was a market.'[LNB]However Ferguson will be intrigued to hear City's executive chairman Garry Cook say that the club's big spending is over for the next year. 'We will not be signing players to the extent that we have done in the past year,' said Cook. 'Our academy will be the focus for the next 12 months.'[LNB]
