Glorious Given worth his weight in gold

BY Manchester City’s spend thrift standards, Shay Given represents a mere snip at £7m (€7.8m) but Mark Hughes will surely struggle to make a better signing during his Eastlands tenure.

The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper cheered Hughes, not to mention Giovanni Trapattoni, with a performance that single-handedly prevented City slumping to an embarrassing defeat at a dogged Birmingham.

Hughes has splashed out over £200m (€223m)in an attempt to unsettle the established order but Given is already appearing his most significant purchase, with this outstanding display merely the latest highlight of a luminous season.