Roberto Mancini: Carlos Tevez could make Man City return soon

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has opened the door for exiled striker Carlos Tevez to return to the club.

Tevez has not played for City since

Mancini claimed the player refused to warm up against Bayern Munich

in September, but is expected to return to England in the next few days.

Asked about the prospect of Tevez returning to Manchester, Mancini said: “I don’t know. I hope so, yes.

“I don’t have any problem and the club doesn’t. Carlos knows the situation.”

Tevez’s dispute with Manchester City has cost the Argentine striker close to £10m in wages, fines and lost bonuses.

He was fined £1.2m for gross misconduct for his refusal to return from South America, where he has been since November, and City have refused to pay his wages, estimated at £200,000 a week, since then.

The 27-year-old was

strongly linked with moves to AC Milan,

Inter Milan

and

Paris Saint-Germain

during the January transfer window, but none of the interest materialised into a transfer and the striker remains in Argentina.

But Mancini is hopeful Tevez can play some part for City this season.

Speaking after his side’s

1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday,

Mancini insisted the ball remains in Tevez’s court.

“I spoke with Carlos one week after Munich. He knows everything,” said Mancini, who has seen his side struggle for goals without

suspended striker Mario Balotelli.

“We are here. We’ve not changed these past few months and Carlos knows that. He is a City player.

“Everyone knows that Tevez is a top player and it probably would have been better for us if he’d been here.

“Carlos can change a lot of games. If he comes back next week, maybe he can help us in the last three months.”

But Mancini has made it clear that he expects the Argentina international, who

joined City from rivals Manchester United in 2009,

to apologise.

“This is normal,” he said. “Then, after, Carlos can train, can play, as long as his condition is good.”

City dug deep for a win without Tevez on Sunday, grinding out a win over Villa.

Joleon Lescott scored the only goal of the game, his second in four Premier League games, but Mancini reserved special praise for goalkeeper Joe Hart, whose brilliant late stop denied Darren Bent an equaliser.

“I think we played very well, we were only missing a goal in the first half but, when you have a team which has only defenders behind the ball, it is difficult,” said Mancini.

“They had only one chance [through Darren Bent] but Joe Hart is there for this, he’s one of the best keepers in Europe. He’s young and can improve a lot but he did a good job.

“I hope we can win the next 13 games 1-0 but every game 1-0 for my heart is not easy.”