Given can leave City in January, reveals Mancini
WIGAN ATH (0) vs MANCHESTER CITY (2)
MANCHESTER CITY boss Roberto Mancini has told Shay Given he can leave Eastlands in the January transfer window.
The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper, inset, is frustrated at being asked to play second string to Joe Hart.
But after guiding his side to fourth place in the Premier League with a hard-fought win at Wigan yesterday, Mancini revealed the 34-year-old will be allowed to move when the window reopens, if he so wishes – a move which is bound to alert rivals Arsenal.
“I have a lot of respect for Shay and I told him the situation before the finish of the transfer window,” Mancini said. “I told him ‘Shay, you can choose. I hope that you stay here but I respect your decision and if you want to leave you can’.
“He decided to stay here and until January he must stay here. In January, if he decides to leave, I respect that decision.”
In the meantime, Mancini was delighted with a battling performance to beat Wigan in wet and windy conditions at the DW Stadium yesterday.
Not for the first time, Carlos Tevez proved the difference, putting City in front two minutes before half-time after latching onto Hart’s long punt up-field and chipping over advancing keeper Ali Al-Habsi.
Tevez then crossed for Yaya Toure to fire home his first for the club 20 minutes from time.
Wigan created very little but came close to halving the deficit ten minutes from time when Mohamed Diame headed wide.
Hailing his new captain Tevez, Mancini added: “I’m very happy for him because at this moment he probably isn’t at 100 per cent of his form. Maybe his goal can help him and it is fantastic he got it. His goal was very important for us.”