Tevez to lose captaincy as Toure tipped to step up
The two met on Friday afternoon at the club’s Carrington training ground to discuss the striker’s transfer request.
City play Everton tonight with Mancini considering handing the armband to Kolo Toure or Vincent Kompany.
The manager is yet to inform the club of his decision, but senior officials believe he is most likely to reinstate Toure as skipper.
The defender was made captain under Mark Hughes but replaced by Tevez in the summer in a bid to make the Argentine stay at Eastlands.
Yesterday morning, Toure was still unaware of whether he would be captain against Everton, but the BBC claims Mancini regards him as the best option until Tevez’s future is resolved.
City rejected a written transfer request from Tevez last week and have made it clear they will not sell him in January, with Eastlands football administrator Brian Marwood declaring on Friday he expects the striker to honour his contract, which runs until July 2014.
Manager Mancini has also spoken publicly of his hopes of convincing Tevez his future lies with City, who are third in the Premier League table on 32 points — two points behind leaders Manchester United but having played a game more. “He is our player and I hope he continues to play and score for us,” said Mancini.
Tevez, 26, claimed an irreparable breakdown in his relationship with “certain executives” was the basis for his desire to leave City.
He was not in the party that travelled to Italy for Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Juventus, with Mancini instead giving a number of fringe players a run-out with qualification to the last 32 already assured.
Marwood suggested figures surrounding Tevez, who is advised by Kia Joorabchian, may be agitating for a move. Joorabchian claims to have tried to talk Tevez into staying but said the striker’s desire to leave stems in part from City’s failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League.
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