Stoke City boss Tony Pulis is convinced Mark Hughes can get Manchester City into the top four.

He said: "Mark was a great player and he has already proven himself to be a very good manager. He did very well when he was in charge of Wales and he carried that on at Blackburn.

"Pushing Manchester City into the top three or four will be an enormous challenge for him, but one I'm sure he will rise to."

Hughes' side have failed to win any of their last three Premier League fixtures, but there is no chance of Pulis underestimating the size of Stoke's task.

He said: "The problem Mark has had is the international breaks have hindered him from integrating his new players into the team.

"He's got a lot of very gifted and talented individuals, like Robinho and Jo, and it is going to take time for them to bed down.

"I'm sure he will be pleased there are no internationals for a while now and he can get on with what he has to do."