SOME decisions can make or break your life, and Mark Hughes must be losing sleep on what he has done to his promising managerial career.

After three relatively successful seasons at Blackburn, Hughes decided he needed a bigger challenge.

He had two choices: One, he could build on his legacy at Ewood Park by qualifying for Europe. Or two, he could join Manchester City.

He chose the latter. It must be the worst decision of his career.

To be fair to Hughes, he must have been lured by the millions of pounds that Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra had promised to inject into the club's war chest.

The Welshman must have been thrilled at the prospect of the former Thai premier - a billionaire whose fortune stands at an estimated ??pounds;1 billion ($2.7b) - issuing blank cheques for any player he wants.

The former Manchester United star must have thought he had finally joined a club that could match his ambitions; that armed with Thaksin's money, he could assemble a squad to challenge the Premier League's top four.

So much so that Hughes decided to forgo his chance of being United's manager in the near future, as no Man City boss will be accepted by the Old Trafford faithful.

One match into the new season, and it has turned all pear-shaped for Hughes.

I am very close to Man City's coaching staff and rumours are rife in Eastlands that Hughes is thinking of quitting.

Why? First, the club has been plunged into uncertainty now that owner Thaksin and his wife skipped bail and went into a self-imposed exile in England following investigations into corruption when he was Thailand's prime minister.

That has placed Thaksin's ownership of Man City into jeopardy, as Premier League rules state that club directors found guilty of corruption will be dismissed.

Two, the majority of Thaksin's fortune has been frozen by the Thai government, meaning his lofty plans for Man City have been torn to shreds.

Hughes will not get the money he was promised before he took the helm.

And, worse still, he has been asked by Thaksin and City's board of directors to sell the club's stable of expensive stars.

Lest we forget, Hughes' predecessor, Sven-Goran Eriksson, spent a whooping ??pounds;33million in three weeks last season to build a new-look squad.

Eriksson's flops

Except for Brazilian star Elano and Bulgarian midfielder Martin Petrov, the rest of his signings were flops.

Now, after signing Brazil striker Jo on a ??pounds;18m deal, Hughes found the club's purse-strings tied in a dead knot, and he has been forced to cash in on whatever assets remain.

The club was keen to sell Vedran Corluka to Tottenham and Stephen Ireland to Sunderland without his consent.

Hughes can't sign new players; and he is not allowed to keep his best players. I understand that the situation ignited a blazing row between Hughes and Thaksin, with the manager threatening to quit.

In public, the former Man United striker has denied any rift. But in private, I understand he is considering his future at Eastlands.

He told close friends he might have made a big mistake in joining Man City.

A decision that may well haunt him for the rest of his life.