Manchester City owners are standing by chief executive Garry Cook.

Cook will fight on with the full support of the club's owners - despite his pre-match derby gaffe.

The club insist that Cook's job is safe after he was filmed boasting to fans in New York that the Blues would beat Manchester United in Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final.

A City spokesman said on Friday: "This is an isolated and ill-informed piece of speculation which is completely without foundation."

And the Manchester Evening News says Cook is valued by owner Sheikh Mansour and chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak.