Manchester City executive chairman Garry Cook admits club owner Thaksin Shinawatra is unlikely to fade into the background.

Cook told the Sunday Express: "A lot of people are living off last season, when it was deemed that perhaps Dr Thaksin was perhaps intrusive.

"You can never say that won't happen again because he owns the football club. He has a right to say what he wants. He has invested an awful lot of money in this football club. Dr Thaksin is a politician and he's not scared to have a public opinion. I was in Bangkok last week and we spoke about what was required.

"It's well defined and my head will roll if we don't get close to some of the issues.

"But it takes a long time to create a dynasty. Mark Hughes is a young manager who wants to challenge himself. He wants to have the best footballers in his team."