Hughes believes home-grown players are important to the club

Manchester City will not abandon their highly successful youth policy despite the huge investment expected in transfer funds at the club.

City's prospective new owners, Abu Dhabi United Group, have pledged to spend large sums on new players.

But the academy has produced more than 20 first-team players in recent years.

"The youth policy still has a role to play," said manager Mark Hughes. "What we have now have are the means to enhance that operation."

Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards and Michael Johnson have come through the system at City, which is run by academy director Jim Cassell.

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And Hughes added: "The academy has been extremely successful in recent years. With extra funds it can produce even better players.

"It's important for any successful team to have a group of players who have an empathy for the club.

"We have that with the guys who have come through the academy.

"But we are not just going to fill the squad as a token gesture to the work the academy does.

"The quality of players has to be sufficient to play in the Premier League. That is what their work is judged on."

City broke the British transfer record when they paid Real Madrid �32.5m for Brazilian Robinho on transfer deadline day.

The Abu Dhabi United Group have already made their intentions clear, claiming they intend to make City "bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United".

And the club have been linked with a host of big-name players, such as Liverpool's Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.