Ireland still the main man despite City’s big spending

A SUMMER of Monopoly money spending is almost over for Manchester City and one of their mainstays from the years BC (Before Cash) has remained unnoticed amidst all the upheaval.

But if Mark Hughes’ £200 million (€231m) squad is to achieve anything this season, it is a safe assumption that Stephen Ireland will have a large say in the matter.

The Cobh man capped a steady, but far from spectacular, City victory with a well-taken 90th minute goal that doubled the lead handed them inside three minutes by new £25m (€29m) striker Emmanuel Adebayor.