Mancini’s confident of Tevez stay as City climb up to third
MAN CITY (3) vs STOKE CITY (0)
MANCHESTER CITY boss Roberto Mancini has given his strongest indication yet that club captain Carlos Tevez will still be at the club next season after watching his side climb above Arsenal into third in the Premier League.
Tevez, who following last weekend’s FA Cup triumph declared he would need time over the summer to decide whether or not he would prolong his Eastlands career, struck twice in a comfortable win over Stoke to take his league tally to 19 for the season.
Joleon Lescott added a third as City overawed Saturday’s vanquished Wembley opponents and leapfrogged Arsenal into the final automatic Champions League spot with one game remaining, at Bolton on Sunday, remaining.
Tevez appeared to wave farewell to the home crowd when he was replaced by substitute Dedryck Boyata with two minutes remaining, but Mancini insists the Argentine will resist the overtures of Inter Milan and concentrate on contributing further to City’s rise.
Mancini said: “I think he [Tevez] will stay. He told me he wants to stay. He has a five-year contract and he told me he wants to stay before the Cup final and after. There has never been a problem.
“I spoke with him many times in the last 20 days. I spoke with him and I think he wants to stay and he will remain here.
“[He asked to leave] in December, but everyone can change their opinion. He is an important player here and he is feeling good. In no other club can he find the feeling people have for him here.
“He has scored 21 goals for the season and, every time, we say he is an important player. I think that he stays next year. I don’t think he can change his idea now we are in the Champions League. We can have a better squad and better players.”