Personally, I believe it will all end in tears.
I acknowledge the talent that he has and acknowledge that somewhere in his career, wherever he is at that point, he will probably hit heights that most players can't (although how long that lasts for will be the thing that defines him).
However, I would put money on that not being here.
I was against his signing, not because I don't rate him, but because I can't see the move working.
I don't see why, in City's position, we have to gamble with players. He is a 20 year old who doesn't speak English, who has fallen out with managers, has consistent on and off pitch troubles and who seems to have mental problems. On top of all that, we ask him to come and play in a foreign league at such a young age, when he has never spent time working abroad.
It is a recipe for disaster imo and a pure gamble. One in which the odds are not on City's side.
However, I put that to one side as I rate Mancini, know what he expects from players in terms of discipline and assume that he knows what he can get out of the player.
On the flip side, the lad seems to be even more unbalanced than I realised. One would think that even the nuttiest of people, when settling in somewhere, would at least keep their head down for the first few months. But it is something new every week with him. Quotes about Milan, getting sent off, moaning, not trying, arguing with the manager, having an attitude that causes the manager who is his biggest ally to publicly rebuke him, slagging off Wilshire, the list goes on.
I'm not bothered if City lose money on him (which is a pathetic and arrogant thing to say as a fan, but that is the situation we are in). But I am bothered if he has a negative affect on the dressing room. And, as well as the rumours that circulated a while back about some not being happy about the treatment he gets and favouritism (which I hope is just bullshit), there are obvious signs on the pitch to anyone attending games that some of his team mates (and not just one or two) are unhappy with his efforts and have let him know about it.
Signing nutters or well known loose cannon players is just not a policy that I can support in City's position. Everything about his move to City is setting him up to fail. If it were just a gamble that only affected a year or two of the player's career then I wouldn't be bothered. I'm more concerned with the negativity such players bring to the club, the squad and the dressing room though.
Not needed imo.
But here's to hoping that he proves all that wrong, applies himself, acts like a professional and doesn't become the negative here that all the evidence suggests is likely.
PS: some refs are looking for him and are, as usual with English refs and their biased application of the laws, a disgrace to their profession. However, perhaps he could look at himself and ask himself why these idiots have been looking for him. They didn't just draw his name out of a hat. Why aren't they looking for Milner or Johnson?