Man City warn Brazil not to play Robinho in friendly

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has warned Brazil against playing his recovering forward Robinho in their friendly with England in Qatar on Saturday.

Robinho, who has not played since suffering an ankle injury during Brazil's 3-1 win over Argentina on September 5, has joined up with his national squad in Doha with the English Premier League side's approval.

"They (Brazil) felt they wanted him to be involved in the squad and... the decision was made that he could stay with them under the provision that he doesn't take any part in the game," Hughes said after his team lost 1-0 to a youthful UAE side in Abu Dhabi.

"He has had one training session in 8-10 weeks, so to actually think he could be ready for a full international against England would, I suggest, be foolhardy," the City website (www.mcfc.co.uk) quoted Hughes as saying.

"He may benefit from training with the quality of the squad that Brazil has, but frankly we would be disappointed if he played in a full international because he would compromise himself."