Mark Hughes believes he is "more philosophical" after his debut season at Manchester City and has learnt to ignore speculation over his future.

The former Blackburn boss was appointed as manager at Eastlands last summer and expectations for the campaign ahead soon increased following the takeover by owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Hughes has come under pressure during his first year in charge but the Welshman believes he is stronger for the criticism.

"I've changed - I'm a little bit more philosophical these days,” he told the club's official website.

"When I see certain things in the media I shrug them off rather than get upset. There have been some ridiculous stories. It's quite laughable at times, but it's water off a duck's back now.

"In years gone by, maybe I would have been more upset about the things that have been said, but it comes with the territory here and you just get on with it."

Hughes, who has been given the backing of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, is confident of a bright future at City as he plans for another summer of bolstering his squad.

He added: "Part of the art of management is seeing things coming and pre-empting them. This season has certainly tested me in that respect.

"Given that we've got through such a lot, we are all better at what we do than we were 12 months ago. As a club and as a squad we have benefited from the work we've done together. We have all learnt, we have had to.

"Things have happened this year that none of us had experienced, and we are stronger for it. It won't be a smooth ride next season, but it will be more stable - it has to be. Stability comes from playing well and winning consistently, which is what we aim to do."