Hughes praises Petrov

After putting in a very impressive performance on his first start of the season:

"The great thing about Monday night was that Martin came in and made a real impression on the game," said Hughes.

"That shows what a tremendous professional he is, because he has had to be patient and bide his time, and when he got his opportunity he made a positive impact.

"That's because he trains correctly, and works hard every day. He knows that he has to, because when you get the opportunity you have to be in the right physical state to make an impact."

Petrov certainly played well on Monday night, and proved why Hughes was right to forbid his going to Spurs. We are very lucky to have Petrov - arguably the best old-fashioned outside left in the Premier League (certainly ahead of Albert Riera) as our third choice left sided player. If he can stay fit and focussed it can only further marginalise Robinho.