Mancini offers lifeline to Tevez

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says he would forgive striker Carlos Tevez if he apologises for refusing to warm up.

Tevez was suspended for two weeks and fined two weeks’ wages by City for refusing to warm up in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich earlier this season.

Mancini initially claimed he would never play the striker again following the dispute, while Tevez has threatened legal action against the Italian for accusing him of refusing to play in Munich.

But Mancini has now offered the Argentine a lifeline by saying that things will be back to normal if Tevez apologises.

“Everything depends on Carlos. If he apologises to the squad and to me then everything will be as before,” Mancini told Corriere della Sera.

“If he doesn’t then Tevez has a value that everyone knows and something will happen in January.”

“He is totally unprepared and being badly advised. I don’t want it to be like this and I would be the first to forgive him.”

Responding to speculation that Tevez might be heading to Serie A outfit Napoli in a straight swap for Ezequiel Lavezzi, Mancini said: “No one from City will be given away.”