Tal Ben Haim is already looking right at home in Manchester City colours, in the opinion of Blues’ boss Mark Hughes.

The 26-year-old took the man-of-the-match award in Saturday’s win over AC Milan, taking a change of position in the second half in his stride.

The early departures of Michael Ball, Javi Garrido and Micah Richards saw Tal shift over to left back from central defence in the second half, and his assured display bodes well for the opening to the league season, when Dunne will be suspended for the first two games.

“Dunnie’s not available to us for the first two games of the season, although he can play in the European games. Therefore it was important that Tal had time with all the players at the back, so we could try to integrate him as quickly as possible,” Hughes declares.

“I thought Tal was excellent against AC Milan, he showed good movement, good anticipation of situations that he nipped in the bud.

“When he went to left back he was looking to get forward and be positive, which was a good sign.”

The former Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bolton and Chelsea man is a vocal presence at the back, as the Manager continues:

“He’s fitting in well, and he’s a good talker back there which is maybe something we have not had a great deal of at the back. He tries to organise things, and that is going to be important for us.

“I thought he was excellent on Saturday and showed off the quality that we know that he has. He’s ambitious and determined to excel in his career, which he wants to further with us. We’re delighted to have him, especially as he’s got the versatility and flexibility to play in a number of positions. He showed that against Milan, and he’s going to be a big asset for us.”