More from Robinho

The sidelined Brazilian has been speaking again to radio in his home country:

"I'm very happy about the interest that Barcelona have in me, playing in the Nou Camp it is much easier to be the best player in the world than at City."

"I'm not forcing a hypothetical exit from England and neither do I have problems with my coach."

I'm reluctant to wade too much into this and criticise him given the lack of accuracy there often is in quotes such as these.

However, it is best becoming an irritant and it is far from ingratiating him to the support as a whole - and Mark Hughes must be unimpressed at the latest quotes attributed to him, not least because of the endless questions he is likely to have to field from a media keen on the latest soundbite.

I've posted before about Robinho's future, and far from thinking he will be a marginalised figure once he returns to full fitness as most do, for me he could be an integral part of an attacking line-up looking at how we have shaped up this season.

The concern is that the constant drip feed of quotes and reports could build in to a unwanted distraction over the next couple of months as we head to the January window.

Given how Hughes has dealt with 'troublesome' situations he has encountered, if he does sense it developing into a long term issue he won't be slow to take decisive action if need be.