Roberto Mancini admitted Manchester City's hat-trick hero Mario Balotelli is homesick, after watching the Italian striker star in his side's 4-0 win over Aston Villa at Eastlands.
Balotelli is believed to be considering a return to Italy after struggling to adapt to life in England since his £24 million switch to City from Inter last summer. The 20-year-old scored three goals against Villa - two of which were penalties - but spent much of the game sulking and barely celebrated his strikes.
Mancini revealed after the game that Balotelli is having a tough time off the pitch but believes the forward is a "good guy" who has a long-term future at the club.
Mancini said: “I think he is homesick because he's 20 years old, away from his family for the first time and it's normal that he is missing his family. I don't think think it's a long-term problem.
“He celebrated after the first goal. It was a step forward. It's important that he's smiling – but it's more important that he scored three goals.
“Mario is a good guy. He's different on the pitch because he likes to give the image of being serious and not liking to play.”