Roberto Mancini has admitted there are no guarantees Carlos Tevez will stay at Manchester City, even if they fulfil their Champions’ League dream.
The City boss revealed yesterday he will open talks about his skipper’s future as soon as the last ball of this season is kicked.
Tevez is in a race to recover from a hamstring injury in time for the FA Cup final against Stoke on May 14, in what could turn out to be his farewell appearance.
Even though the Eastlands club are now in a strong position to finish in the Premier League’s top four as well as a shot at winning their first trophy for 35 years, Mancini insisted those factors will not sway Tevez’s decision.
Mancini though, hasn’t given up all hope of holding on to his temperamental Argentina striker, and he explained that talks will start immediately after the season’s end.
“We need to talk with Carlos (about staying), but we have time to do this, at the moment, the two most important things are to win the FA Cup and finish in the top four,” the Blues boss insisted.
“It’s more important to know when Carlos can play. Hopefully after we win the FA Cup and get in the Champions League we can talk about his position.
“I don’t think it depends on getting into the Champions’ League, no. But we know how important it is that we finish in the top four and win the FA Cup, for the club.”
City expect their captain to offer a clear indication of his position as soon as the season ends. The striker, who is on a contract that is worth close to £200,000 a week, almost walked out of the Manchester club before the turn of the year, but had a change of heart, following talks with his manager.
The suspicion lingers, though, that he is unsettled, and already there are reports of his agent sounding out clubs about a possible move.
For Mancini though, that is a problem to be addressed in the future, and for now, he is content to stick with the striker.
And yesterday, he hinted the forward would be guaranteed a place on his return from a hamstring problem, and even indicated yesterday Tevez will keep the captain’s armband when he returns from injury, despite the sterling job done by Vincent Kompany in his absence.
That may be a controversial move if the star striker quits straight after the FA Cup final, but Mancini said: “Carlos will be skipper when he is fit, absolutely. I can not say if he will be guaranteed a place, because he has to be 100% fit.
“If he is it depends for the cup final. It’s important that we have all the players available. We also have big games in the Premier League.
“We can’t just think of the final, we can’t forget the other games in the league, they are very important - more important than the final at this moment.
“If we take a risk because we want to play with Carlos and he’s not ready then it can be a problem for him and for us. We don’t want that to happen.”†
Tevez has been in Italy receiving treatment from the Argentina national team masseur, in an attempt to get fit.
Mancini was believed to be unimpressed that Tevez was not at Wembley to support his teammates when they took on United in the semi-final but he dismissed any suggestion of unrest at the two week sojourn.
“Every player gives trust to a doctor if they know them from their national team. This one is a masseur. But he’s here now,” he added.
“He went there because the masseur was there who he worked with in the summer. But he’s here now, and it’s not important who and where. What’s important is that he makes a full recovery.”
While doubts still linger over Tevez’s future, Mancini was at pains yesterday to stress that his own position at City is completely secure, as far as he is concerned.
The Italian was under intense pressure as his side slipped out of the title race, with Jose Mourinho touted as a possible replacement. But the semi final defeat of Manchester United, and the prospect of a third place finish has eased the pressure, and Mancini was in fighting mood as he insisted yesterday his future remains with the club.
“Absolutely, if it is down to me then I will stay here. I have put in a lot of hard work to get here,” he said.
“I would be very disappointed after all the work to hand it over to someone else. I hope the work here will be easier from now on.
“I want to concentrate on City because we are one of the teams who can challenge for big things. I want to think about getting in the Champions League and winning the FA Cup.”
Manchester City’s owners have stepped into the row about the insults some of their fans have hurled at towards Manchester United, by making clear they want an end to chants about the Munich air disaster.
Old conflicts were inflamed by distasteful songs used at the Wembley semi final, and now chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has asked the club to look into the issue.
He has made clear that the owners are uncomfortable with the chants, and has urged City fans to follow the lead of the majority of supporters by showing respect to those who died in the tragedy back in 1958.
And Mancini too, asked his club’s followers to show respect, when he said: “I didn’t hear these songs, but I believe we should have respect for what happened.”
Mancini is planning clear-the-air talks with Tevez at the end of the season to sort out the uncertainty over his future.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/243 ... lks-on-ice
CHELSEA are locked in a tug-of-war with Manchester City over French whizkid Jean-Christophe Bahebeck.
The Paris St Germain striker, 17, who has been dubbed 'the new Anelka', has already appeared six times in the first team.
Bahebeck is available on a free transfer as he does not have a professional contract and Juventus and Inter Milan are also watching the situation.
I'll win the Cup for my dad, says Manchester City star Pablo Zabaleta
Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final win over United had the blue half of Manchester beaming. But is also raised a weak smile 7,000 miles away in a hospital bed in Buenos Aires – and to Blues hero Pablo Zabaleta, that meant more than actually reaching the final.
The man who was celebrating inside, even though his body was devastated by a terrible car crash, was Zabaleta’s dad Jorge.
Now the whole-hearted Argentina defender wants to take a winners’ medal with him when he flies back to his homeland after the end of this season, to show to his recuperating dad.
Zabaleta dashed with his girlfriend Christel Castano to his father’s bedside in March after hearing the 57-year-old was clinging to life after serious head, neck and chest injuries when his car left the road and ran into a ditch.
Zabaleta senior had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters and when Pablo arrived in his homeland, his father was in a coma.
City gave him compassionate leave to remain in Buenos Aires as long as he needed.
After a three-week vigil at his bedside, Jorge began to improve and was moved from the intensive care unit.
City placed no pressure on Zabaleta to return even though they lost right-backs Jerome Boateng and Micah Richards to injury.
But with vital games coming up, Zabaleta had a hard decision to make and with his father still unable to speak, he was unable to ask his advice.
So the player asked himself what he thought his father would want him to do – and that was to return and play his heart out for the Blues.
“I am sure he will think I have to be here,” said an emotional Zabaleta, who was one of the heroes of the semi-final at Wembley with a typically lion-hearted display.
“Sometimes I want to be with my family there – it is a difficult time, but my career is very important as well.
“I am sure he would say to me, if he could, that I should come back to Manchester and carry on with my job. That’s why I am here.
“I went back to Argentina to support my family, my brothers, but when he started to get better I decided to come back to be with the team.
“It was a time when nothing was going to change, and I spoke to the doctor. I told him I had to go back, and was leaving my father in good hands.
“It was a difficult decision, but this is my career and we are in a great moment, so I wanted to be here for the final and to be with the team in this part of the season.”
Zabaleta has become hugely popular among City fans for his commitment and professional attitude, and he was overwhelmed by the messages of support he received when news broke about his father’s accident
“I have to say thank you to the City fans because many of them followed me on Twitter and left some great Tweets of support to me and my family,” he said.
“They have been asking how my father is doing, so I have to thank them for that.”
Jorge had recovered enough to watch the semi-final on TV, and the sight of his son celebrating with his teammates was a huge fillip.
“My brother told me when we played the semi-final my dad was in bed and watching the game on TV,” said Pablo. “When we won he was very happy and had a smile on his face. Maybe that will make his recovery much better.”
It is to be hoped that Jorge was looking the other way when Pablo was on the end of a wild challenge from Paul Scholes which saw the United midfielder red-carded. Zabaleta revealed that the gash and livid bruise left by the challenge almost ruled him out of Monday’s clash with Blackburn.
But he says there are no hard feelings towards Scholes, saying: “He is a great player. Sometimes in a semi-final or in games like that anyone can lose their head.
“I don’t know him as a person but he looks very quiet, and as a player I have a lot of respect for him.
“I had some problems in the week before Blackburn but I made a good recovery and was able to play without a problem.”
Jorge will not be able to fly in for the final because he is now spending two months of rehabilitation in a neurological centre.
Zabaleta was speaking at the launch of the new Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, part of the Sportcity complex.
“I like tennis it’s a great sport and sometimes when we have a day off I go with Roque Santa Cruz to play – he is better than me but I enjoy it,” he said.
THE new centre, based at the old regional tennis centre, is a multisports facility for east Manchester residents, as part of a joint venture by City in the Community, Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust and the city council
Which nicely brings us on to todays WAG OF THE DAY Christel Castano ...
OTHER BOLLOX
Tottenham are weighing up a shock summer move for Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan. the Sun
Liverpool are plotting a bid for Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi, the Argentina international who has scored 35 goals in 122 Serie A appearances. Daily Mirror
Meanwhile, the Anfield club have stepped up their interest in Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Reds boss Kenny Dalglish watched the 24-year-old in his club's 3-2 home victory over Montpellier on Wednesday - and also took the opportunity to assess Lyon left-back Aly Cissokho. the Sun
Inter Milan are planning to sell Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o and Julio Cesar to fund a bid for Arsenal playmaker Cesc Fabregas. TalkSport
Schalke are eyeing Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel as they step up their search for Manuel Neuer's successor. Friedel, who turns 40 in May, is out of contract at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Everton are considering a move for £6m-rated Reading striker Shane Long as David Moyes prepares to revamp his forward line. Daily Mail
Bolton are interested in Belgian centre-half Timothy Derijck. Manager Owen Coyle watched the 23-year-old play for Dutch side Den Haag on Friday. Daily Mail
Championship high-flyers Norwich City are ready to make a £2m move for in-form Millwall striker Steve Morison. Daily Mail
Celtic manager Neil Lennon is considering a summer move for Motherwell striker John Sutton, with whom he played at Wycombe Wanderers. (Daily Record)
Hibernian will allow top scorer Derek Riordan to leave Easter Road for nothing in the summer after the Scotland forward failed to agree a new contract. (Daily Express)
Queens Park Rangers's automatic promotion to the Premier League is set to be blocked by the Football Association if they are found guilty of breaking strict third-party ownership rules over the signing Alejandro Faurlin. the Sun
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is set to be named in the provisional England squad for this summer's European Under-21 Championship. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger does not want the 19-year-old to play in the tournament, but England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce will include Wilshere in his 40-man party, which is announced on Tuesday. the Sun
Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier will leave hospital on Friday, 10 days after his heart scare, and could be back in charge of the team this summer. Daily Express
Football pundit Andy Townsend has told how he was threatened in a Madrid restaurant after irate Real Madrid fans mistook him for Champions League referee Wolfgang Stark. Daily Mail
Celtic have warned that the controversial Green Brigade supporters' singing group could be dispersed around their stadium if they do not stay in their seats during matches. (the Times)
Scotland are almost certain to be fourth seeds for the World Cup draw in July, being ranked at the same level as Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Poland and Romania. (Daily Record)
Football fan Andy Carpenter is in a Champions League of his own - after sleeping alongside the European Cup. The 32-year-old courier could not believe it when he was asked to pick up the trophy from one exhibition and take it to another the next day. He was so scared of losing it overnight that he made his missus stay in the spare room while he shared his bed with the cup. He said: "I was told not to leave it unattended for a second." the Sun
Panama international Luis Moreno has been heavily fined and ordered to do community work at a zoo after kicking an owl during a Colombian championship match. Daily Mail
