Why Stoke boss Mark Hughes could soon be back among the elite in management

IT was around this time, not too long ago, that Mark Hughes and his employers were readying themselves to try and shock the world.

 

Stoke boss Mark Hughes has been linked with replacing Louis van Gaal at Manchester United

 

Next week marks the seventh anniversary of Manchester City's £100m bid for Kaka, their attempts to recruit a global icon dashed when the move collapsed amid the wonderfully emotive accusations from the-then CEO Garry Cook that AC Milan "had bottled it".

In many respects it remains an itch that still has to be successfully scratched for those at The Etihad given the focus is set to switch from blue chip superstars on the pitch to those in the dug-out if the speculation over Pep Guardiola rings true.

Hughes, by way of comparison, has moved on.

To Fulham, that forgettable spell at QPR and, as of now, Stoke where he has carefully pieced together an eye-catching squad which helps promote some other questions: Firstly, when will he be back at a club that sees itself as a main challenger?

 

Secondly, why has there been so little chatter about Hughes replacing Louis van Gaal at Manchester United or guiding Chelsea forward given his managerial record and the fact they are two of his former clubs?

Etiquette means the man himself can only argue that another shot at the so-called big time comes when Stoke confront Liverpool in tonight's intriguing Capital One Cup semi-final, first-leg.

Yet should he lead the club to Wembley, then it will be another tick on a managerial CV worthy of scrutiny.

Liverpool will be aware that if the forward thrust is monopolised by anyone right now, it is the hosts, newly-christened as Stoke-alona in tribute to the Barcelona influence Hughes has attracted to the Potteries in Bojan and Ibrahim Afellay and the easy-on-the-eye style he has implemented.

The attacking triumvirate of Bojan, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri arrived for a combined cost of around £12m less than the £29m Liverpool paid for Roberto Firmino and a little over half of Christian Benteke's £32.5m price-tag.