City welcomes Hughes, Sven moves to Mexico

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

MARK Hughes was confirmed as Manchester City's new manager yesterday after quitting Premier League rival Blackburn Rovers.

City's Website said the 44-year-old Hughes, who signed a three-year deal, had agreed to join after meeting the club's new executive chairman Garry Cook on Tuesday.

Hughes, who played for Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea as well as winning 72 caps for Wales, replaces Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was named Mexico's coach after just one season with the Blues.

"I am delighted to welcome Mark on board. In our view he is the brightest young manager in the game and he was our number one target for the manager's job," Cook said.

"He made it clear to us from the moment we met that he shared our vision and ambition to make Manchester City one of the top sides in the country."

Cook said Hughes would be given full financial backing in the transfer market by club owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

Meanwhile, Eriksson's job as Mexico coach may appear like a soft option to take him towards retirement but the reality is likely to be different.

The Swede will carry the hopes of 100 million people who are increasingly exasperated at their team's predictable habits of falling at the last 16 of the World Cup and capitulating to their neighbors.

In addition, he will face unpredictable and hostile conditions in the region's tortuous World Cup qualifying process and is likely to get a cool reception from his squad, who have a collective soft spot for interim coach Jesus Ramirez, who coached the Mexican team which won the under-17 world championship, and has been caretaker of the senior team since April.