Sheikh Mansour insists, though, that the club are fully behind Hughes following a meeting involving the pair, club chairman KhaldoonAlMubarak and executive chairman Garry Cook.
City's oil-rich Arab billionaires Sheikh Mansour and club chairman KhaldoonAlMubarak are set to bankroll a January spending spree with the intention of lifting City clear of the relegation zone.
"Roberto's record speaks for itself and he has the respect and gratitude of Sheikh Mansour, myself and the Board for all of his hard work and commitment over the last three and a half years, " said chairman KhaldoonAlMubarak in the City statement.