Robinho facing Hughes grilling

Robinho faces a grilling from Manchester City manager Mark Hughes when he arrives back from Brazil.

The former Real Madrid forward is facing disciplinary action after leaving their training camp in Tenerife without permission.

Robinho phoned Hughes to give his reasons after publicly stating he needed to return home to address a family matter.

He will still be in hot water, however, when he makes his expected return this weekend.

'Robby rang me and we had a brief chat, given the language constraints,' Hughes told Manchester radio station Key 103. 'He understands we need to address this situation and we will.

'Once he is back we will sit down. We will make sure everyone is clear (about the situation) and I will make my feelings known.

'I will be looking for a more detailed explanation from Robby why he felt the need to go back and then decisions will be made.

'He left the training camp without permission. He said he had personal things he needed to address and made the decision to go back to Brazil. That was wrong.'

City are still in Tenerife as they are out of the FA Cup and Hughes has ruled out the possibility of Robinho returning to camp.

'It is not practicable to get Robby back here because of the time difference,' the City boss added. 'He will be back at the weekend and ready to train at the first available opportunity.'

Robinho insists he does not have any problems with the manager and says there is no rift with Hughes.

'I have a good relationship with Mark Hughes and have always respected his decisions,' he stated on his official website. 'He is the boss!'

Robinho, who arrived from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day for a British record fee of £32.5million, feels he has settled in well to life in England.

'I like living in Manchester and I have made many friends at the club and at the city, since I arrived last year,' he said.

'I admire the Manchester City fans, who are true lovers of football and loyal to the players. I am looking forward to delivering as many goals as possible to help our team move to the next level.'


RTE