Robinho and Wright-Phillips during their 6-0 win
over Portsmouth on Sunday.
MARK HUGHES believes his summer signings
Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips have silenced the sceptics just
as successfully as they have revitalised Manchester
City.
After his hoped-for move to Chelsea fell through at the
last minute, Robinho was accused of using City as a convenient
route to escape his nightmare at Real Madrid. At the same time,
Wright-Phillips was ignoring the “never-go-back” warnings about
returning to his first club following an ill-fated spell at
Stamford Bridge.
But Hughes says the opportunity to play regular first-team football
in front of a crowd crying out for heroes has helped both players
rediscover not only their best form, but also their zest for
football. Robinho has scored two goals in his first two Premier
League games and dazzled team-mates and fans with his skill, while
colleague Wright-Phillips has netted three in his first three
league games and is playing with the confidence and energy that
were the hallmarks of his first spell at the club.
Hughes admits that he detected apprehension from Robinho when the
Brazilian first arrived but says he has quickly realised both the
ambitions and potential of a club who are now effectively the
richest in the world, following the £210 million takeover by the
Abu Dhabi United Group.
“I don’t think it was simply a case of City being convenient,”
said Hughes. “The move happened very quickly but the key to it was
that he was determined to leave Real Madrid. “Our sales pitch to
him was, ‘This is where we need to go and we are going to bring in
good players. We already have good players at our club and they
will help you to perform to a high standard’.
“Initially he showed signs of being apprehensive about
the situation he found himself in, but he has had great support
from his Brazilian colleagues, Elano, Jo and Glauber Berti. That
early apprehension went very quickly. We have seen, just as
quickly, that the guy simply has a love of football. You can see
that in his performances. He just wants to play, week-in,
week-out.
“At Madrid, he wanted to play every week and felt he wasn’t getting
that chance. Maybe he felt he wasn’t going to be as loved as he
will be here.” And Hughes revealed that Robinho won over his new
team-mates with a dazzling display of his ball skills before his
debut against Chelsea. “He was doing tricks with the ball in the
dressing room and all the guys were applauding him. So straightaway
he won them over,” said Hughes.
Robinho’s arrival has also had a positive knock-on
effect on others, with Stephen Ireland an example of a player who
has raised his performance level. Hughes said: “Good Premier League
players look at top players coming into their club and view it as a
challenge. Players are quickly looking to see if another player is
as good as people say he is.
“And players are responding. Look at how well Stephen Ireland is
playing. He has been exceptional since I came here. He has been
arguably our best performer. We have raised the bar and set a high
standard and we’ll maintain it with the work ethic we have.”
Hughes described Wright-Phillips’ energetic performance in the 6-0
win over Portsmouth as “excellent” and added: “Shaun has come back
to the club a better player. He is older, wiser and more
experienced – and he’s loving his football again.”
But after their biggest Premier League win, Hughes warned his
players to keep their feet on the ground for tomorrow’s Carling Cup
second-round trip to Brighton – with Robinho rested for the
game.
Hughes, meanwhile, has been told by City’s new owner Sheikh Mansour
bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who will formally complete his takeover today,
that he will have the final say on transfers.
Sheikh Mansour said: “We consider Mark Hughes to be one of the
prime assets of the club. We will back his judgment on what players
to bring in.”