Mancini rules out Adebayor return

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has expressed sympathy for Emmanuel Adebayor but insists he has no chance of returning to the club.

The Togo international spent last season on loan at Tottenham but has so far failed to complete a permanent move to White Hart Lane.

Adebayor scored 14 goals in his first season at the Etihad Stadium after completing a move worth around 25 million pounds from Arsenal but gradually fell down the pecking order and has also spent time on loan at Real Madrid.

“I am sorry for him because he is here and not playing,” Mancini told reporters. “But he has no chance of playing this season for us.

“It’s important for him that he can find a good solution because he scored a lot of goals last season and he’s a top striker.

“I hope for him he can find a good solution very quickly.”

Mancini has also claimed that the four first-team strikers currently at the club – Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko – will all stay.

Dzeko scored 19 goals last season but found regular starts hard to come by after the return of Tevez from his period of exile and had been linked with a departure.

“I still have confidence in the four strikers,” he added. “They scored 70 goals between them last season. They will all stay.”