Mancini down to bare bones

MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini has raised the possibility of the world’s richest club not being able to fill their bench for Sunday’s mouthwatering FA Cup tie with Manchester United.

Already without Gareth Barry through suspension, with Mario Balotelli deemed “unlikely” to recover from an ankle injury sustained in training last week and Samir Nasri trying to shake off an illness, Mancini always knew his resources would be depleted.

So he could have done without the double whammy of losing African Cup of Nations-bound Yaya and Kolo Toure after his plea to keep the pair until after the United game was rejected by Ivory Coast coach Francois Zahoui.