Manchester City may make an increased bid for striker Roque Santa Cruz as their fragility in that department was all too apparent in a disappointing 1-0 defeat in their UEFA Cup qualifier at home to FC Midtjylland.
A goal from Danny Olsen in the 16th minute gave FC Midtjylland the advantage going into the second leg of this second qualifying round match in Denmark in a fortnight.
In the absence of Jo, Benjani and Darius Vassell, Hughes decided to employ teenagers Daniel Sturridge and Felipe Caicedo up front.
Sturridge hit the woodwork, as did Martin Petrov, but City never really got going and Hughes has not ruled out the possibility of heading back to his former club Blackburn for Santa Cruz.
Rovers rejected their offer - believed to be £12million - for the player out of hand.
However Hughes has given gave an indication they might not be giving up the chase just yet.
He said: "We are in the market for a striker and made a substantial offer, which has been well documented.
"We will have to wait and see what happens. We are trying to address certain weaknesses in the team and we will continue to do that right until the window closes.
"We have problems up front as we are missing key personnel. We are a little bit light and went with two young guys, who are still learning the game. It was difficult for them.
"I think what the bid does show is that the club is in decent shape
financially and that we were able to make a bid of that significance.
"Maybe the stories of the financial crisis flying around are not as
substantiated as they should be."
The delighted Midtjylland players went wild in the dressing room after the game and coach Thomas Tomasberg said: "I am very proud of them.
"I was a little bit scared of City but when we saw them we knew we were their equals. We were strong and quick. It was only in the last 25 minutes we were under any kind of pressure.
"The players will be allowed to celebrate a little because very soon they
will be back at work."
Hughes feels they will be better equipped in the return game as they will be into their season.
"We needed a spark to help us unlock the door but we did not have that," he said.
"However, when the second leg comes round we will have more games under our belt.
"Hopefully we will make a better fist of it than we did here."
Hughes claimed he did not see Michael Johnson throwing an elbow on Gheorghe Florescu late on in the game.
The incident was caught on camera but the City manager said: "I haven't seen it so I can't comment."
In the absence of Jo, Benjani and Darius Vassell, Hughes decided to employ teenagers Daniel Sturridge and Felipe Caicedo up front.
Sturridge hit the woodwork, as did Martin Petrov, but City never really got going and Hughes has not ruled out the possibility of heading back to his former club Blackburn for Santa Cruz.
Rovers rejected their offer - believed to be £12million - for the player out of hand.
However Hughes has given gave an indication they might not be giving up the chase just yet.
He said: "We are in the market for a striker and made a substantial offer, which has been well documented.
"We will have to wait and see what happens. We are trying to address certain weaknesses in the team and we will continue to do that right until the window closes.
"We have problems up front as we are missing key personnel. We are a little bit light and went with two young guys, who are still learning the game. It was difficult for them.
"I think what the bid does show is that the club is in decent shape
financially and that we were able to make a bid of that significance.
"Maybe the stories of the financial crisis flying around are not as
substantiated as they should be."
The delighted Midtjylland players went wild in the dressing room after the game and coach Thomas Tomasberg said: "I am very proud of them.
"I was a little bit scared of City but when we saw them we knew we were their equals. We were strong and quick. It was only in the last 25 minutes we were under any kind of pressure.
"The players will be allowed to celebrate a little because very soon they
will be back at work."
Hughes feels they will be better equipped in the return game as they will be into their season.
"We needed a spark to help us unlock the door but we did not have that," he said.
"However, when the second leg comes round we will have more games under our belt.
"Hopefully we will make a better fist of it than we did here."
Hughes claimed he did not see Michael Johnson throwing an elbow on Gheorghe Florescu late on in the game.
The incident was caught on camera but the City manager said: "I haven't seen it so I can't comment."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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