Mark Hughes gave his backing to Manchester City’s ambitious attempts to sign Ronaldinho, the Barcelona and Brazil playmaker, when he was unveiled as the club's new manager this morning.

The former Blackburn Rovers manager will be given £50 million to spend on new players and admitted that he would target the world's top players. Despite being linked with the vacant manager's job at Chelsea, Hughes also assured supporters that once City made their interest known he was focused on only one job.

"From the time their intention was shown, I had the opportunity to speak to Garry [Cook, the executive chairman] and members of the board, it's been very quick," he said.

"It was very plain to myself very quickly there was a huge project and huge job here that I wanted to be part of and it was a very easy decision for me."

As well as having the money of the owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, to spend, Hughes will have any cash that he raises from the sale of players. He is said to be excited about the prospect of partnering Ronaldinho in attack with Jô, his Brazil team-mate. As revealed by The Times last week, Jô will soon join City from CSKA Moscow in a club-record £18 million transfer, but it is talk of an audacious move for Ronaldinho that will set pulses racing among City fans.

"There is a lot of talk and a lot of speculation about the quality of the players that can come here," Hughes added. "I am always interested in good quality players. If they are available at the right price then yes, I would try to bring them to the football club.

"The ambition of the club is to challenge at the top table, not only in this country but in Europe. If we can get the right players in the right positions, then it's more than realistic."

Hughes also confirmed he would be joined at Eastlands by his assistants Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki, who he described as key to his plans. Blackburn were understandably loath to part with Hughes, although the former Manchester United striker decided that he had taken the club as far as he could with a limited budget.

"A number of staff will be leaving Blackburn to join me, which I am very pleased about because they are key to how I work," he said. "I'll back my ability against most managers in the Premier League and I have already intimated that I think my management team is one of the best in the Premier League, and I think we can make an impact here. If I didn't think that I wouldn't have come here."

Hughes signed a three-year contract worth £3m a year — £500,000 more than paid to Sven-Göran Eriksson, his predecessor — after six and a half hours of talks in London that concluded at 3.30am yesterday. One of his first tasks will be to iron out some bad feeling in the City dressing-room, with a number of the squad voicing their displeasure at the manner of Eriksson's dismissal.

"There are a few issues around the current staff which are a priority for me, but it’s only my first day," Hughes said. "There are a few house-keeping duties to take care of first, but then very quickly my focus will be on the job and any issues that are out there."

Hughes said he had a enjoyed a brief meeting with Shinawatra and was "honoured" that he had been chosen to attempt to bring the former Thai prime minister's bold vision to fruition.

"I had a brief conversation with him and he wished me well," the former Wales coach said. "But I spent some time with his close advisors and I was very excited by the ambition they have for the club and the fact that they picked me to lead that ambition.

"There is always pressure, every Premier League manager is under pressure. It's a results-driven business - you are judged on results and the key decisions you take. It doesn't faze me, it's something you have to work with and you have to thrive on it."

The majority of City supporters have welcomed the news of the appointment and Hughes played down his status as a United great when asked if he would have difficulty in swapping the red shirt for a blue one.

"I am a professional football manager, I don’t wear the shirt anymore. I lead the people who actually wear it. I am a manager who has been shaped by the experiences I have had, and that includes my playing career.

"I am a professional manager who is trying to do that job and progress my career as quickly as I can. I am at a great club with a great fan base who have been very positive in their reaction to the appointment, I'm certainly pleased about that.

“I did play for other clubs than Manchester United by the way. My passion and my drive and my ambition is there for all to see if you see how my teams play and the intensity that my players have. The work that I do has an impact in a positive way, so that’s what I am trying to bring to Manchester City."

Meanwhile, Richard Dunne, the City captain, will wait to see the impact of Hughes's arrival before making a decision on his future. The 28-year-old has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, but could be persuaded to stay at Eastlands. He will meet with Cook tomorrow.

"It was disappointing that Sven had to leave, but in Mark Hughes we have got an exciting young manager who has done particularly well at Blackburn," Dunne said. "Premier League experience does count for a lot and he has proved that he can mix it with the best over the last few seasons.

"No team ever relished going to Ewood Park when he was in charge. They established themselves as a top-10 side and did well in the cups too.

"I will have to wait and see now which way the club is going to go. There is certainly the need for some stability.

"I know from speaking to players who have been in his side that he is a disciplined and highly-regarded coach, and that bodes well for the club. I had a season with him at Goodison when I was just breaking into the side and he was always a great professional who made time to speak to people and give them advice, and he has taken to management really well."

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