Player of the month Nedum, who has been at the club since he was a boy, believes footballers are a misunderstood breed and last week leapt to the defence of young players under fire from Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.
England’s Under-21 skipper maintains that bringing home the UEFA Cup from Istanbul would have far more impact on players’ perception of City as a club than the Abu Dhabi riches that manager Hughes can now call upon.
Onuoha said: “That would definitely mean more than the money. There is so much potential here now and the chance to be able to afford better players. But they will come because they see the club is moving in the right direction.
“They’ll see the ambition and take a pride in coming here. It’s amazing to think that not so long ago we were escaping relegation but three or four years from now could be one of the top teams in the country if not Europe. But it wouldn’t be about the money, it would be about the team developing. Players take a pride in the team they play for, otherwise you wouldn’t go. Big clubs will pay big money, because they will be winning things.”
Nedum, who has established a firm partnership with Richard Dunne at the heart of defence, also insists that money can’t compensate if you’re not happy at your job - and bears no resentment for the game’s big earners.
He said: “Some will think I’m unique, others boring, but for me it’s not about the money. Football is a great profession to be in and I’m having a good life. It doesn’t matter to me if someone else is having a better one.
“Players who are deserving can have as much as they like and it won’t trouble me. I hope Stevie Ireland signs a new contract and they pay him whatever he wants, because for me he has been our best player this season.
“Whatever he earns, he deserves, and if I only get a hundredth or whatever fraction of what he is paid, it wouldn’t matter to me as long as I had enough to be OK. I’d never compare myself to him, he’s integral to the team.”
