Mark Hughes is already facing a testing time as manager of Manchester City, as doubts surround the futures of Vedran Corluka, Stephen Ireland and Michael Johnson – three players he would dearly love to keep at Eastlands.

The speculation over Croatian international Corluka is baffling to say the least. Why the Blues would even consider letting him leave after his impressive debut campaign last season has startled the supporters, with Tottenham Hotspur said to be on the verge of landing him for £8million, which represents zero profit for City despite the player becoming one of the finest defenders in Europe.

Rumours circulating suggest Hughes knew little of the proposed sale of Corluka, who initially didn’t want to leave Manchester. When the former Blackburn Rovers manager discovered his board were willing to sell the fullback, he was furious and called the player back from talks with Spurs and named him in his squad for the friendly with Celtic last week.

However, it is understood by this time the 22-year-old had had a change of heart and after speaking to Luka Modric, he had set his heart on joining him at White Hart Lane. It is believed he has spent the weekend holed up in London after passing a medical, and is now waiting to be presented to the Spurs fans, with Juande Ramos confident a transfer is imminent.

The reason the board accepted the bid in the first place, it is being suggested, is that Thaksin Shinawatra felt the offer was too good to turn down. This in itself is hugely worrying for the financial position of the club, considering Corluka has proven to be a real class act and surely his market value would be in eight-figures.

As if this isn’t bad enough for Hughes, it is also being rumoured that the board have accepted an offer from Sunderland for midfielder Ireland. Again this was all done without the knowledge of Hughes and again the manager was furious, recalling the Republic of Ireland international for the friendly against AC Milan and showing his determination by playing him for a couple of minutes in the friendly.

Finally, Sky Sports are now reporting that Johnson has refused the latest contract offer tabled by City. This will alert Arsenal, Aston Villa and both Merseyside clubs, who have expressed an interest in the England Under-21 international midfielder this summer. All in all, these are very worrying times for City fans, who must be thinking ‘here we go again’ once again.