Cook: City not thinking about Hughes future

Manchester City executive chairman Garry Cook has stressed manager Mark Hughes is not in danger of getting the sack.

Cook said despite the club’s current lowly position just one place above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone there is no reason to panic.

City have won just one of their last eight league matches, picking up five points since the end of October.

After the takeover by the Abu Dhabi Investment Group, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, at the start of season expectations skyrocketed at Eastlands.

With the new owners also bankrolling the £32.5m British transfer record signing of Robinho from Real Madrid the spotlight was immediately put on Hughes to deliver.

So far he has not managed to have the impact he would have wanted but Cook said the former Manchester United striker would be given time to implement his plans.

“This is an easy business to track and when you look at results they haven’t gone our way,” said Cook.

“The building of the future does not happen overnight. A few results from the last few games have not gone in our favour but what you don’t want to do on occasions like that is panic.

“What we don’t want to do is change our direction and change what we are trying to do over the long term based on a couple of results.

“They (the owners) have been around business a long time and they make big decisions.

“But we don’t even get to thinking that way (about getting rid of the manager) and nor should we.”

Cook said he spoke to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Sheikh Mansour’s trusted aide, on almost a daily basis and had been reassured of the owners’ support.

“It is a much more considered approach, our owners are much more pragmatic,” added the executive chairman.

“They are thoughtful and as Sheikh Mansour has said, the business plan we have in place they are very happy with.

“Sheikh Mansour is committed and his mandate with his regards to Mark and me is in play and I have no reason to believe otherwise.

“Mark Hughes is an extremely talented individual and a manager we absolutely love working with.”