Carlos Tevez has given City a major boost by declaring he will be fit for next week’s Manchester derby.
And manager Roberto Mancini is hoping that the Blues’ top scorer – who is due back in Manchester tomorrow – may even be available for Sunday’s trip to West Brom.
Mancini spoke with Tevez before boarding the plane to Poland for tomorrow’s Europa League clash with Lech Poznan.
And, after City’s medical staff liaised with counterparts at the Argentine FA who have been treating the City skipper in Buenos Aires, it was agreed he should fly home and begin preparations for the crunch clash with the Baggies.
“He will be in Manchester today, and I think he will be ready for West Brom,” said Mancini.
The Blues can qualify for the round of 32 in the Europa League with a win in Poznan tonight, but have left the Toure brothers at home.
Kolo was still feeling the effects of a hamstring problem which meant he was less than 100 per cent during the Wolves game, and Mancini wanted Yaya to work at Carrington and take a break from playing before two crucial Premier League games.
Mario Balotelli has also been given the all-clear to play after pulling up with a thigh problem in training on Tuesday.
Mancini also rounded on the critics who have said he is being undermined by a players’ revolt, condemning the reports as “lies”.
“I’m not surprised at these reports,” he said. “If there is someone that wants to write these lies, they can do, I’m happy for them. But it’s really false, it’s not true.
“We are in fourth position at the moment, and we started the season very well. OK, we lost against Wolverhampton, but that can happen sometimes, and it is important for us if we want to get to our targets in the end we must continue to work without what some journalists write.”
Mancini even had time to laugh off the latest suggestion, that he had been rowing with Yaya and Kolo Toure before leaving them behind in Manchester.
“After this, after Yaya and Kolo, I’m finished!” he said, and added, tongue firmly in cheek: “I have a problem with Carlos, with Yaya, with Kolo – I don’t know, with all the players!”
