Mancini bemused by Tevez claims

Mancini bemused by Tevez claims

Published Jan. 31, 2012 7:15 a.m. ET

With Tevez likely to remain at City beyond Tuesday night's transfer deadline, a repair job could be required to patch up the South American's differences with Mancini.

Yet, until Friday, when Tevez's long-time advisor Kia Joorabchian outlined the fact his client had always felt uneasy about Mancini, the City boss did not think there were any problems beyond their obvious fall-out in Munich last September.

"I don't know why they are suggesting this," said Mancini, of the image that is being portrayed about his relationship with Tevez.

"I have always had a good relationship with him.

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"After Munich, I called him to my house and told him if he apologised he could come back. For me, it is no problem.

"I had always good behaviour from him. I don't know what the problem is. He has always said that he wants to leave Manchester, that he wants to be close to his family. I have helped him with this, last year and this year.

"It is very strange."

The fact Joorabchian did make his comments means that it is fairly easy to come up with a name to fill the criticisms of some agents that Mancini, without naming anyone, outlined ahead of City's Premier League encounter with Everton.

"Sometimes it is difficult to understand why some players have certain agents," said Mancini. "If I was a player I would never take an agent like some who work here.

"First the agent should find the player work, after that they should help players in difficult situations; help them, not put them against the club or the manager or the other players.

"Agents are important for doing this, not only for earning lots of money."

With Mario Balotelli serving the second match of a four-game ban and both Yaya and Kolo Toure on Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast, who take on co-hosts Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals next Saturday, Tuesday night's trip to Goodison Park could turn into a testing encounter.

City have triumphed on just one of their last 13 visits and Mancini has previously noted how David Moyes tends to get a bit more out of his Toffeemen when his side are the opposition.

However, Mancini finds it hard to believe the £22million departure of Joleon Lescott in 2009 is the cause.

"Manchester City paid a lot of money for Lescott," he said. "We didn't take him for free. I don't think this would be a reason."

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