Emmanuel Adebayor, who desperately tried to get a move to Manchester United at the last minute before settling to sign for our blue neighbours, reckons he will be playing for the top team in Manchester by the end of the season.

“The goal is not to be bigger than Manchester United, but to be bigger than everybody,” he said. “We want to dominate both England and Europe, so that doesn’t mean being bigger than just Chelsea or Manchester United, but bigger than Madrid and AC Milan as well. When people are picking City over the biggest clubs in Europe you know that we must be on the brink of something very special. I don’t think it will be long before we are the top team in Manchester. People talk about it being in a year’s time, but I have the belief it can be this season. With the squad we have I see no reason why we can’t do amazing things this year.”

Meanwhile, Carlos Tevez has been comparing his new boss, Mark Hughes, to his former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Four months ago, Tevez was singing the praises of Ferguson, saying: “From the moment I arrived, he has treated me with respect as a person. His greatest quality is that, for him, there are no star players – everyone is equal, whether they cost many millions or are a young player who hasn’t played many times for the team. When I see him work he reminds me of Carlos Bianchi, who was my coach at Boca Juniors in Argentina. Both have had a big influence on my career, and both know how to treat people.“

Unsurprisingly, Tevez has changed his tune, claiming that Hughes’ experience as a player gives him the edge over Ferguson (clearly unaware that Ferguson was a player too with a much better striking record than ol’ Sparky).

“Ferguson is history in my career,” Tevez said today. “Mark Hughes just concentrates on working and training, not getting involved in the business of other clubs. Hughes is closer to the players than Ferguson and he talks some Spanish, which is good for me. He has been a player and you notice that in how he treats the players. My evaluation of him is positive and I’m excited about the season ahead.”