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Roberto
Mancini will
reportedly stamp his authority on the Manchester City squad in
January with a clear-out of a number of the club’s playing
staff.
The Sunday Mirror is reporting that the
under-fire City manager is set to rid the club of any dead wood,
with around £50 million worth of talent likely to get the
chop.
Mancini inherited a large squad of high earners from his
predecessor Mark Hughes, and with questions being raised about
harmony at the club, the Italian is apparently set to get rid of
some of the highly paid stars at Eastlands.
The report quotes a source as saying: “All talk that Roberto has
lost the support of the players is being based purely on the word
of a group of players that have no future at the club and their
hangers-on.”
Mancini has already shown that he is not afraid to dump big-name
players after he sent fans' favourite Craig Bellamy on loan to
Cardiff City earlier in the season.
Shay Given, Roque Santa Cruz, Wayne Bridge and Shaun
Wright-Phillips are all strongly believed to be on their way out of
Eastlands.
A series of injuries combined with a surplus of attacking options
has kept Santa Cruz out of the team, while Joe Hart’s outstanding
form has seen him favoured over Shay Given, and both players have
fallen down the pecking order.
Wright-Phillips and Bridge have both been given opportunities in
the first team, making 12 appearances between them this season, but
Mancini has reportedly dubbed them not good enough for the
club.
Both players featured in City’s 3-1 defeat to Lech Poznan in the
Europa League on Thursday, which was the club's third defeat in a
row and added to the speculation surrounding Mancini's job
security.
City are currently fourth in the Premier League but some recent
poor results and the manner of their performances has left some
questioning Mancini’s position.
With a local derby at home to bitter rivals Manchester United on
Wednesday, the pressure on the City boss will not fade
quickly.