Manchester City manager Mark Hughes felt Robinho needed an extra break hence the reason for not using him until late in the loss against Fulham on the weekend.

The Brazilian star was not used until the 63rd minute in City's 3-1 loss at home to the Cottagers but Hughes has defended his decision to use Robinho sparingly.

"Sometimes shouting for individual players to come on is maybe a bit simplistic," said Hughes.

"We just didn't have enough energy levels - the effects of the Hamburg game were significant.

"We were missing key senior players, so it was a case of getting some energy into the team and also protecting a few players as well.

"He (Robinho) has had a great first season but has played a lot of games and today was one of the few occasions I felt he would benefit from a break."