BLUES starlet Ched Evans could be one of the main beneficiaries of Mark Hughes' failed bid to land Ronaldinho this summer, with the Wales international set to be given the chance to step up to the Premier League.

Ronaldinho this week spurned Thaksin Shinawatra's determined attempts to bring him to Eastlands - opting for a move to AC Milan instead.

And while that was a blow to City's Thai owner, it might just be music to the ears of Evans.

Hughes has turned down several offers to let the highly-rated teenager go out on loan this season and will instead let him scrap for a first-team place alongside the likes of Brazilian striker Jo and Benjani.

Famed

Evans, who is the latest talent to come through City's famed youth system, has just signed a new three-year contract at the club after collecting a number of admirers following a successful loan spell at Norwich.

The 19-year-old scored ten goals in 20 starts for the Championship side, as well as scoring on his full international debut for Wales in May.

That has prompted the likes of Norwich and Cardiff to try to take him on loan this season, but Hughes believes Evans can play a major role in his City revolution.

"Ched has been excellent in pre-season and I am glad we have secured him on a long-term contract now," said the new City manager.

"He has a big future and that has been demonstrated by the amount of phone calls I have had from Championship managers wanting to get him out on loan.

"But I think I am going to frustrate a lot of teams because he will not be going anywhere in this transfer window."

Evans played a part in City's 2-0 win over EB Streymur in the UEFA Cup first-round qualifying match on Thursday, which allowed Hughes to take a closer look at his new side.

And he was particularly impressed with the attacking options provided by Jo and Martin Petrov, who scored City's opener.

Quality

"They have the sort of quality that can really unlock defences," he said.

"We created good chances and I was pleased with Jo's performance.

"He showed great awareness of players around him, and once he gets to know the players and the way we want to play he will be a big asset to us.

"Petrov was excellent, certainly in the first half. The opposition found it difficult to cope with the quality he has.

"He put a lot of dangerous crosses into the box and with luck we could have converted more.

"But overall his performance was excellent.

"He got us off on the right foot with that opening goal and pushed us towards a good performance all round.

"We hope he will be providing a lot of goals this season.

"He has the ability to go past people, and break through the lines."

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