Manchester City boss Mark Hughes admits the club's academy kids will find a route to the first team tougher under the new regime.

The City plan is that once they get into the big time, they will be able to attract and buy bigger names, making the route through to the first team even harder.

"The standard is going to rise year on year, and for young players to be able to break into the senior City side is going to be more difficult in future," said Hughes bluntly.

"But that shouldn't deter any young player involved at City from giving everything that they have to ensure they give themselves the best possible chance of being a Premiership footballer at one of the biggest clubs in the Premier.

"That's the challenge for any young players now. Maybe in the past the level they had to hit to get into the City first team was lower.

"Now the bar has been raised and everyone has to raise their own standard in order to get into the team."