Liverpool spoke to Roberto Mancini about replacing Rafa Benitez, claims Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook
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Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook claimed the approach to Roberto Mancini weeks before they sacked Mark Hughes wasn't unusual, and said Liverpool had also 'sounded out' the Italian about succeeding Rafa Benitez.
Cook came under fire this week after it was revealed that club owner Sheik Mansour had first met Mancini in early December to discuss the Italian's availability should the manager's job at Eastlands become vacant.
Despite claiming they had not decided to part company with Hughes at that point, Cook insists the club were simply following the normal process used by Premier League clubs.
He even went one step further by suggesting that Liverpool, whose co-owner Tom Hicks talked to former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann in November 2007 about taking over at Anfield, also met former Inter Milan coach Mancini in the past.
'It is naive to think that clubs are not looking at their options,' said Cook. 'Of course they are. Do we think that Liverpool just talked to Klinsmann? I am sure they also spoke to others, and I have no doubt Roberto Mancini was one of them. Of course he would have been.
'The fact that Mancini met the owner on December 7 in London is not the same as saying we had made up our minds then to sack Mark Hughes. We decided to sack the manager after the Spurs defeat.
'The fact that conversations took place prior to that is what lots of people do in football, and is part of what we do. But there is nothing misleading about what we told the public, the fans and the media in our press conference.'
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Cook has been widely criticised for his handling of the major issues throughout his time at City, including his accusation that AC Milan 'bottled it' over the proposed move for Brazil star Kaka in January and the shabby dismissal of Hughes at the weekend.
He also revealed that Mancini was only one of several top managers considered on a list of potential replacements for Hughes but insists that is common practice among Europe's leading clubs.
'We have been linked with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Klinsmann, but I have never met any of them,' he said.
'Any club looking at their managerial options would draw up a list, and a club like ours would look at the best in the world, so why wouldn't all the names mentioned, if they are indeed the best in the world, be on our list?
'But it is totally unrealistic to think we could sign Arsene Wenger, for example. He is far too loyal, and quite rightly so.
'We are fully aware Hiddink has made it known that in three years' time he doesn't want to be in coaching, so it's a process of fact-finding.'