Manchester City Football Club News

• Nickname:Sky Blues
• Founded:1887
• Manager:Roberto Mancini

• Ground:City of Manchester Stadium
• Capacity:48,000

Hughes plans Robinho talks

22 Jan 2009 - 12:13:24

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Manchester City manager Mark Hughes plans to sit down with Robinho on his return from Brazil to discuss his future at Eastlands.

The club's £32million record signing is facing possible disciplinary action after leaving their training camp in Tenerife on Monday evening.

Speaking for the first time since the breach of club discipline, Hughes has revealed the Brazil striker left the camp without permission for 'personal reasons'.

"Robbie left without permission, he felt that he had personal things that he needed to attend to," Hughes told the club's official website. "He made the decision to leave the camp and go back to Brazil.

"That was not with my permission and the situation at the moment is not really practical to get him back here with time differences and length of flights, so he will be back at the weekend ready to train when we are back in Manchester at the first available opportunity.

"Once he is back, I will sit down with him and explain my feelings and decisions will be made after that.

"He has rung me and he understands that we need to address this - and we will. Then we will move on.

"He obviously felt that there were certain things that he needed to address back home and so, wrongly, he made that decision to go back to Brazil.

"But he will be back at the weekend, then we will make sure that he knows my feelings and I am sure we will get a more detailed explanation from Robbie."

However, Hughes has rejected suggestions that Robinho's exit was linked to the club's failure to land compatriot Kaka in a world record deal from AC Milan.

"He was on a plane back to Brazil when the Kaka deal was dead and buried," added Hughes. "People trying to link the two are trying to cause a little bit of mischief."

Hughes' explanation comes hard on the heels of a statement issued by the player in which he went to lengths to discuss his happiness in Manchester.

Earlier on Thursday, the former Real Madrid star said: "I like living in Manchester and I have made many friends at the club and in the city since I arrived last year.

"I have a good relationship with coach Mark Hughes and have always respected his decisions. He is the boss."