Hughes: We don’t have to finish in top four

MARK HUGHES has rejected the notion that Manchester City’s season will be regarded as a failure if they finish outside the top four.

After a short break in Abu Dhabi and a meeting with owner Sheikh Mansour, Hughes is now ready to get City’s season back on track again after five successive draws.

What has been dubbed a mini-slump by those who expect much better from a team put together at the not inconsiderable cost of £200 million (€224m) over the past three transfer windows, has left the Blues in sixth spot ahead of this weekend’s intriguing trip to Liverpool.