England

Mark Hughes Reserves Great 'Admiration' For Manchester City Targets Eto'o & Tevez

The Welshman has prompted further rumours that two top class players could soon become Citizens.

Jul 2, 2009 11:37:57 AM

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Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has given further credence to the speculation that he is set to land the biggest coups of his managerial career in the form of strikers Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o by emphasising his respect for both men.

"Carlos is a player I have huge admiration for. He's a great player and a great competitor, and any manager would be delighted to have him in the team," Hughes said in a press conference, lavishing praise on the clubless forward, who would cost City around £25 million as he is still owned by Kia Joorabchian. "Carlos would be a real asset to our future plans but at the moment he's not our player. We'll see what happens."

Regarding treble-winning Barcelona hitman Eto'o, Hughes added, "We've lodged a bid for Samuel Eto'o, and I don't think there's any update on that. We've tracked the players we think will help us and he's one I've got a lot of respect for. We have to stand back and see what develops.

"We'll all have to be patient. Every transfer is different - we were able to do the Gareth Barry deal very quickly, the one for Rocky [Santa Cruz] was long-winded. We have to accept there may be others that will take a little bit of time.

"We will give every deal the patience we feel it deserves."

A Goal.com source recently revealed that Carlos Tevez is expected to be unveiled as a Citizen on Monday, even though his preferred destination is Chelsea.

Alan Dawson, Goal.com