Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is demanding more from his foreign players this season.

Hughes said: "I would expect the foreign players who were brought in last year to be better this season after being exposed to the Premier League.

"Initially, the thrill of competing in the Premier League and the adrenalin, desire and the excitement that generates gets you through but then you have to be able to sustain it and may be that was one of the problems last year. Perhaps in the second half of last season that intensity wasn't maintained for whatever reason and we will try and address those reasons.

"In most of my time at Blackburn, the second half of the season was always the stronger half and we felt that was as a consequence of how we trained and how we prepared on a daily basis it enabled us to maintain our level right through a long campaign.

"We are hoping to replicate that at City and the new players from last season should benefit."