Manchester City are to investigate claims chief executive Garry Cook emailed defender Nedum Onuoha’s cancer-suffering mother mocking her illness.

Dr Anthonia Onuoha received an offensive email which was intended for the club’s football administrator Brian Marwood, in regard to a contract dispute her son was having with City.

Cook has denied he sent the message, claiming his account was hacked.

Dr Onuoha told the Sun the email had left her “humiliated and devastated”.

Defender Onuoha’s mother, who acts as his agent, had previously sent a message to Marwood and Cook, explaining that while she was “ravaged with cancer” it would not prevent her negotiating on behalf of her son.

Dr Onuoha then received an email, allegedly from Cook and addressed “Brian”, which apparently ridiculed her use of language in describing her illness.

The email is reported to have read: “Ravaged with it!!…I don’t know how you sleep at night. You used to be such a nice man when I worked with you at Nike. G”.

Manchester City have responded to the allegations by releasing a statement promising a full investigation.

“Following allegations made to the football club by Dr Anthonia Onuoha, subsequently reported in today’s [Monday] media, the club can confirm that a board-led review has been launched into the matter,” said the statement.

Dr Onuoha told the Sun: “When I opened my emails and saw the message, it was the worst day of my life, even worse than being diagnosed with cancer.”