Hughes admits the ownership saga, during Thaksin Shinawatra’s time at the club, took its toll on him.
“The reality wasn’t exactly what was described and sold to me,” Hughes told The Guardian.
“In fairness, we were able to go into the transfer market, but there seemed a focus that players had to be sold, and I realised that maybe the resources weren’t in place that I thought.”
Hughes admits he considered leaving City when the Shinawatra saga was overshadowing everything about the club.
“Probably naively, I thought you could separate the two, but obviously you can’t,” the 45-year-old added.
“If you are single-minded, you have to work purposefully and if you get to a point where it is untenable and not manageable, then you make the decision to walk away.
“I never got to that point – but I was close.”
