MARK Hughes has completed a month in charge of City - but it's only now that he can really start getting his teeth into the job.

And Hughes is doing that by getting to know his players away from the media spotlight, in deepest Bavaria.

The City boss and his players flew out to Germany on Thursday for a ten-day training camp just south of Munich, near the border with Austria.

Hughes discovered the area during his season with Bayern Munich 20 years ago.

It became the annual pre-season destination for his players during his time in charge at Blackburn.

The change of scene will give Hughes the chance to assess his players free of the glare of the press - there are no journalists at the camp, and the presence of club officials has been kept to a bare minimum.

Work

"It is a case of the group going away together as a whole and working together, eating together and just bonding a little bit," Hughes said.

"It is a great environment as well. Everything we need is there and we can get some good work done."

Those who experienced the camp under Hughes at Blackburn believe that it will do City's players the world of good.

But former Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage warned that it will be hard work.

Savage, now with Derby, went on all three of Blackburn's pre-season trips to Germany under Hughes.

He said: "It's hard work, you don't get a lot of sleep, but it's great. The weather is good. You go in the coldest lake you've ever experienced after training, which is a nightmare, but it is all good fun."

For Hughes, though, the trip to Germany is serious business.

When they return to Manchester, City will be just days away from their first competitive fixture, the away leg of their UEFA Cup first qualifying round tie against EB/Streymur in the Faroe Islands.

That will be followed by a return to Germany - this time the far north - to face Hamburg in a friendly on Saturday, July 26. Five days later comes the return leg against EB/Streymur at Barnsley, followed by the short trip to Stockport County on August 2.

The pre-season campaign will then be wrapped up with a game against Celtic at Parkhead on Wednesday, August 6, and the Thomas Cook Trophy clash with AC Milan at Eastlands three days later.

Barring utter humiliation against EB/Streymur, City will face a UEFA Cup second qualifying round first leg tie on Thursday, August 14, which would probably force the opening Premier League clash at Aston Villa to be pushed back a day to Sunday, August 17 - regardless of whether it is picked for live TV coverage.

With just six weeks to go until the Premier League campaign kicks off, Hughes knows he has to act fast in assessing his squad, which is why the Bavarian training camp is so important.

Hughes admitted: "The balance of the squad isn't as it should be. There are certainly areas that we can look to improve and make sure we are strong in.

"That's an ongoing process. I have to get to know the players.

"Going away en masse to Germany will help in that process, because it's important that I work with them first hand and understand what we have in the building. Then we can make decisions moving forward.

Contact

"There's good quality here. There are excellent players in situ. It's just a case of making sure the balance of the squad is correct."

To that end, Hughes will keep in regular contact with executive chairman Garry Cook during the Germany trip, with the pair working closely to try to attract more top-class players to City.

Hughes added: "The key is to get the players we feel will enhance the squad and make us stronger going into a long and very difficult Premier League season.

"If we get the right players and the balance in the squad is correct, then we'll have a good season, I'm sure.

"I've been manager for a month now, and Wednesday was really the first day I could get my teeth into what I'm going to be doing for a long time, I hope."

Do you think the balance at City is right? Have your say.