Mark Hughes' City axe leaves Sir Alex Ferguson fuming

The Manchester United boss criticised City chief executive Garry Cook's handling of the affair.

"It was unacceptable behaviour. For some reason Christmas seems to bring out the worst in directors," he said.

Ferguson signed ex-striker Hughes for a then club record fee of £1.8m from Barcelona in 1988, going on to make 256 appearances in a seven-year spell at Old Trafford.

Following a successful playing career, Hughes moved into management with Wales and Blackburn before moving to Manchester City to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson in June 2008.