Hargreaves not ready yet, admits Mancini
Former Manchester United midfielder Hargreaves joined City last week in the hope of reviving his career after three injury-ravaged years at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old is not yet match-fit and has been left out of City’s Champions League squad but Mancini believes he will go on to play a big role this season.
Mancini said: “He had a big problem in the last two years but he can recover very well and be a very important player for us.
“I think he can play in maybe two or three weeks and he can always play. He is 30 years old, he is young and he was very unlucky.
“If he can recover very well it will not be a problem.”
Mancini has been pleased with what he has seen of the player over the past week and is confident he is over his injuries.
The Italian said: “Hargreaves was free, he was without a team.
“We needed a midfielder and we thought this could be good for us. Hargreaves was a fantastic player.
“He is fit. He trained with us this week and he worked last week.”
United boss Alex Ferguson yesterday spoke about Hargreaves for the first time since he signed for City.
Ferguson said: “The boy is desperate to get somewhere.
“You train to be a footballer all your life and you want to make sure you have a good career. Unfortunately for us, he didn’t play enough football. These things can happen.”
Mancini again had to answer questions about controversial striker Mario Balotelli’s off-field behaviour as he held his regular pre-match press conference this morning.
The Italian has rarely been out of the headlines since joining City last year and had another interesting week while back in his homeland.
The £24m (€28m) man was mobbed while visiting a prison in Florence, called as a witness in a mafia trial and accused of using his iPad while on the Italy bench during a match against the Faroe Islands.
Mancini, who clashed with Balotelli during the pre-season tour of the US, believes everything concerning the player is blown out of proportion.
He said: “I’m disappointed because everything Mario does is a big situation.
“I think he played well for Italy on Tuesday. This is important. The other situations are not a problem.
“Mario is 21 years old. He can change in two months, three months, six months.”
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