Thursday, 17 Dec 2009

Hughes admits signing defender is top priority

Mark Hughes is on the lookout for a top defender with Joleon Lescott now sidelined for two months after knee surgery.

The £22million summer signing from Everton had a procedure to remove floating bone in the joint on Tuesday, leaving his manager short of options in January when Kolo Toure joins up with Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations.

"We've lost Joleon for six to eight weeks, that is a big loss to us and comes on the back of losing Kolo Toure for the African Nations Cup," Hughes said.

"So it doesn't leave much thinking about in terms of what we probably need in January."

Hughes' scouts have been posted around Europe for full backs this season, but the priority now switches to central defenders with money no object as City cannot afford to lose any more ground in their bid to finish in the top four.

West Ham's Matthew Upson was on Hughes' summer shortlist, before he completed Lescott's capture, while Bolton's Gary Cahill, Newcastle's Steven Taylor and Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross are in-form defenders who could be in his latest thoughts.