City slickers? Not here laments Hughes as he aims a kick at his unfit players

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The new City manager places a huge emphasis on physical conditioning and left Blackburn in the summer with the squad at Ewood Park recognised as one of the fittest in the country.

Hughes was concerned with what he found when he arrived at City in June and admits he is still working hard to get his players to the levels they need to play his brand of high-tempo football.

What do I do now? Mark Hughes watches his side lose in the UEFA Cup

Having lost dismally to Danish team FC Midtjylland at home in the UEFA Cup on Thursday night, City head to Aston Villa with some questions to answer already.

Hughes said: ‘We have made a lot of changes in a short space of time and I suppose it has been a shock for some.

‘We’ve given them a lot of different information. Some maybe digest it quickly and some do not. The more things are done automatically, the better they will become.’

Hughes is privately concerned that his squad is not fit enough - or deep enough - to launch a sustained top six challenge this season.

The City manager is trying to bring a centre forward and a central midfielder in before the transfer window closes.

Fitness problems were perhaps evident last season when City tailed off badly towards the end of the season, closing it with a pitiful 8-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.

Hughes added: ‘A lot of players came here for their first season in the Premier League and it will have been an eye opener to some players.

‘Now they understand how hard they have to work to get Premier League points and they are like gold dust.

‘We are still looking at things and seeing what formation will help us. We have got talented youngsters but we know they cannot play for significant long periods throughout the season because that would be unfair.’