City boss says striker won't play again this season
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has revealed that he is ready to sell star striker Mario Balotelli in the summer.
The City striker again found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons after his red card at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Balotelli escaped a red card after 20 minutes for a knee-high tackle on Alex Song, but was dismissed in stoppage time after receiving a second booking by referee Martin Atkinson for another lunge, this time on Bacary Saga, and could now face a lengthy ban.
But Mancini looks to have had enough of the troubled player and admitted after the game that he would not play for the club again this season.
Asked for how long he could put up with Balotelli's antics, Mancini said: "I am finished. We have six games and he will not play in the next six games."
"I am finished. We have six games and he will not play in the next six games."
Roberto Mancini on Mario Balotelli
Quotes of the week
Pushed further on whether he would try to sell Balotelli at the end of the season, Mancini replied: "Probably - but I don't know. It depends, because Balotelli is a fantastic player.
"I can continue to play with Mario on the pitch. Every time, we risk one sent off, like today.
"But he can score also in the last minute."
Bad tackle
Balotelli has been no stranger to controversy since joining the club in 2010.
And Mancini said of the first-half tackle on Song: "From the bench I didn't see the first tackle but it was a bad tackle."
When asked if the authorities should take a look retrospectively, he said: "I hope (so)," and admitted the striker deserved a lengthy ban.
"I defend him always because Mario is a good guy, but if he doesn't change in the future he can lose all his talent.
"If he doesn't understand this, after two years I can't do anything. I hope for him that he can improve, that he can understand that he can't continue like this, for his future, for his talent. I'm very sorry for him for this."
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