Hughes eyes more fixtures in future
Believes UAE national side can get the right exposure from playing Manchester City
Abu Dhabi: On the eve of Manchester City side's friendly with the UAE national side, City boss Mark Hughes has reassured football fans in the country that "there is no reason why this match cannot be a permanent fixture" on the club's calendar.
The two sides lock horns at Zayed Sports City tonight at 8pm.
Upon arrival into the UAE for the "Our Country v Our City" match, Hughes said he was expecting an interesting contest. He is expected to field a mixed squad made up of newcomers and stars such as Sylvinho and Pablo Zabaleta.
"The UAE had a good showing in the under-20s World Cup and did really well, which shows that progress is being made and that the future is promising. They will be up against our better [and younger] players, so it will be interesting. We have studies [on] how the UAE go about their job.
Learning experience
"You can only improve as a player or a team by playing against better opposition. If you do that, the tests that they set you mean you have to adapt and raise your level. That's probably the way forward. Teams in the UAE have to expose themselves to top quality teams, and learn and improve as a consequence.
"We expect it to be beneficial to everybody concerned and there is no reason why this match cannot be a permanent fixture, especially if this trip goes as well as we hope," Hughes said.
Hughes praised City's new owner Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and its chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak saying they were people who understood the club, its history and ambition. "We've obviously benefited in terms of resources but the key factor is that we've been able to improve not just the team, but everything involved at the club, so that we're capable of success in the future, which was in doubt before," Hughes added.
"The way Shaikh Mansour and [Al Mubarak] have gone about it, they have connected with the fans and understood the heritage of the club. They wanted to protect the Academy and they have done a great job in a short space of time."
