D-Day looms for Tevez

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez will learn of his fate in the next 48 hours following his showdown talks with the club on Monday.

Tevez has been given permission to travel home to Argentina to serve his internal suspension, according to reports.

The 27-year-old man was questioned on Monday by City officials over allegations that he refused to come on as a substitute in the 2-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich last week, and the focus will now shift towards manager Roberto Mancini’s view of events in Germany.

It is understood that Tevez did not change his original claim that rather than refusing to play as a substitute, he instead ignored instructions from Mancini to resume his warm-up.

With members of the club’s coaching staff as well as team-mates being interviewed as part of the process, City are looking to draw a line under the episode and officials are hoping to bring the investigation to a conclusion no later than Thursday.

The City investigators also consulted lip-readers who have studied TV footage of Tevez speaking to fitness coach Ivan Carminati and players Pablo Zabaleta and Aleks Kolarov.

Tevez’s future has been hanging in the balance since he handed in a transfer request halfway through last season.

He has struggled to earn a place in the team this campaign, with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko moving above him in the Etihad Stadium pecking order.

Tevez was also left out of the Argentina squad for their World Cup qualifying games against Chile and Venezuela, as coach Alejandro Sabella said he was unfit.