Tevez return unlikely, says Mancini

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains disappointed that Carlos Tevez has not ended their dispute by apologising.

The Argentine has not played for the club since allegedly refusing to warm up as a substitute during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich on September 27.

Tevez was suspended for two weeks and fined two weeks’ wages after a club investigation determined that he had breached his contract, and although he is not completely ready to forgive and forget, Mancini appears keen to draw a line under the affair.

“I just want to think about the team and what’s happening on the pitch,” he told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

“We all make mistakes and every error can be repaired.”

“It would have been enough to apologise to close the entire case, but he didn’t want to.”

Mancini is eager to concentrate on the team and matters on the pitch, despite Tevez reportedly still being in Argentina against the club’s wishes.

“It’s now up to the team to decide what happens to him now,” Mancini said.

“I just want to think about the team and what’s happening on the pitch but Tevez remains a fantastic attacker.”

The Italian boss was more upbeat when talking about his in-form compatriot Mario Balotelli.

The striker scored his first international goal last weekend and has seven goals in all competitions this season for his club, with the manager saying he has the potential to be as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I think that he has really changed, although you can never say this with certainty,” he said.

“He has behaved liked a real man though and a good professional and if he keeps this up, he can be like Messi or Ronaldo.”