Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has insisted he is quite prepared to drop the club’s record signing, Robinho, and has admitted the fleet-footed forward has disappointed at times this season.

The Citizens welcome Sunderland to Eastlands today hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Chelsea.

Hughes’ men also struggled in midweek, going down 2-0 to AaB Aalborg in the second leg of their UEFA Cup tie before finally prevailing on penalties.

The Brazilian flattered to deceive in both outings and Hughes has insisted that the former Real Madrid is far from untouchable.

“Of course, it’s possible to drop Robinho,” he told the News of the World.

“Robbie [Robinho] will take the focus of most of the negativity if he doesn’t play well because he’s a big star, was signed for a significant amount of money and people expect him to perform. So when he doesn’t, it’s a story in itself and people will comment on that.

“Robbie is judged on what he is able to produce and, more often than not, at home he is outstanding. But we’ve all struggled to reproduce that away from home.

“He’s had an impact but, on occasions, he has disappointed in the same way that other players have.”

The Eastlands outfit have won only once on their travels this season but crucially that game was against today’s visitors, Sunderland, at the Stadium of Light.

City ran out 3-0 winners back in August courtesy of goals by Stephen Ireland and a Shaun Wright-Phillips brace, and Hughes will be hoping for more of the same today.

Gill Clark, Goal