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Monaco line up swoop for axed Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini
ROBERTO MANCINI could be offered a quick return to management by Monaco after he was sacked last night by Manchester City.
His fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri has guided Monaco back to the top flight of French football this season, but the owners of the Principality club believe Mancini is the man to take them forward.
Mancini’s anger at his dismissal at Manchester City will be tempered by a multi-million-pound pay-off – because he had four years left on a five-season contract worth about £37million.
City maintained a silence yesterday despite intense speculation that a decision had already been taken by their Abu Dhabi owners to fire Mancini and appoint Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini.
But Mancini was spared the same fate as his predecessor Mark Hughes - and was fired before having to manage City in their rearranged game at relegated Reading tonight despite the world knowing he was a dead man walking.
City remained in London ahead of the fixture at the Madjeski Stadium following their humiliating FA Cup final defeat by Wigan.
Mancini arrived with his players for training at QPR’s Loftus Road ground yesterday morning but, it is understood, stayed in his suit rather than change into his normal tracksuit and did not get involved.
Afterwards, while the team boarded the coach to take them to their London hotel, Mancini headed off in a different direction with his assistant Brian Kidd and his translator.
He was believed to be going to meet City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak – owner Sheikh Mansour’s right-hand man – who wanted to tell him his fate face to face after criticism of the way the club handled Hughes’ dismissal in December 2009.
Hughes was forced to manage the team in a game against Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium with the world aware that he had been sacked.
Assistant manager Kidd will to step in to manage the team at Reading, where a point will ensure they finish runners-up behind Manchester United.
Dressing-room unrest at Mancini’s clumsy man-management is understood to be a key factor behind his demise.
His public criticism of skipper Vincent Kompany, goalkeeper Joe Hart, Samir Nasri and Micah Richards has turned most of the players against him.