Sun 24th May - The City of Manchester Stadium
By Carla Hilton Last updated: 1st October 2008
SWP: At the top of his game
Man City boss Mark Hughes believes Shaun Wright-Philips can earn a call-up to the England squad if he continues to play at the top of his game.
The 26-year-old, who returned to City from Chelsea in August, is playing his best football yet according to Hughes and is showing more quality and confidence than ever before.
Competition is strong for a place in Fabio Capello's England squad, with the likes of Theo Walcott, David Bentley and David Beckham also vying for the same position.
Wright-Phillips won the last of his 19 caps in February, and Hughes said: "He certainly has more experience than two of those players (Walcott and Bentley)."
Hughes also admits that Wright-Phillips' time at Chelsea, a title-winning club, has been of huge benefit to City.
He added: "Shaun has been excellent since he came back. He is far and away a better player than when he left the club.
"That is down to three years' more experience and three years at a top club working with top players and winning trophies.
"That changes your mentality and your outlook to teamwork. We are reaping the benefit."
Despite these comments, Hughes says the decision to return to City was undoubtedly the right one.
"This is very much Shaun's club and you can see that," said the City boss. "He is playing with a smile on his face.
"It was a big decision for him to come back here but it looks as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
"You can sense he is delighted to be playing regular football once again and showing everyone what he can do.
"He was sidelined for too long at Chelsea but now he is reminding people he is an exceptionally gifted player."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 18th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| 14:00 | Orlando Pirates vs Man City |
| Tuesday 21st July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| 19:15 | Kaizer Chiefs vs Man City |
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Wolverhampton |
| Saturday 29th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man City |
| Saturday 12th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Arsenal |
| Saturday 19th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Man City |
| Saturday 26th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs West Ham |
| Saturday 3rd October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Man City |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Sunday 10th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Saturday 2nd May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 3 - 1 Blackburn | |
| Saturday 25th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Everton 1 - 2 Man City | |
| Sunday 19th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 4 - 2 West Brom | |
| Thursday 16th April | |
| Europa League | |
| Man City 2 - 1 Hamburg | |
| Sunday 12th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 3 Fulham | |
| Thursday 9th April | |
| Europa League | |
| Hamburg 3 - 1 Man City | |
| Saturday 4th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Sunday 22nd March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Thursday 19th March | |
| Europa League | |
| AaB 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Sunday 15th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 1 - 0 Man City | |
| Thursday 12th March | |
| Europa League | |
| Man City 2 - 0 AaB | |
| Wednesday 4th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 2 - 0 Aston Villa | |
| Sunday 1st March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 1 - 0 Man City | |
| Thursday 26th February | |
| Europa League | |
| Man City 2 - 1 FC Copenhagen | |
| Sunday 22nd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Liverpool 1 - 1 Man City | |
| Thursday 19th February | |
| Europa League | |
| FC Copenhagen 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Saturday 14th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Hull City | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 0 | 0 |
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