Carlos Tevez reported for Manchester City training this morning but could be stripped of the captaincy following his bitter fall-out with the club.
City officials have rejected a transfer request from the Argentina international and are keen to keep hold of the striker despite his claim that his relationship “with certain executives and individuals at the club has broken down and is now beyond repair”.
Tevez returned to Carrington today after being granted a leave of absence by Roberto Mancini, on the assumption he would be visiting his family. It is understood he travelled to Tenerife.
Mancini was not at training because he is in Italy undergoing a minor eye operation ahead of Thursday’s Europa League match at Juventus. Having already seen his side qualify for the knockout stage, the manager is likely to send a weakened team to Turin for their final group game, meaning Tevez will not feature.
Instead, the two men are expected to hold talks in Manchester on Friday. It remains to be seen what Mancini’s personal stance will be, although the club have insisted they will not sell Tevez in January and will seek compensation for breach of contract from his agent Kia Joorabchian if he retires or refuses to play.
The 26-year-old’s deal has three and a half years to run and is believed to be worth around £230,000 a week with bonuses.