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Manchester City boss Mancini insists he did not force Adam Johnson out of the club
Dec 26, 2012 10:30:00 AM
The 24-year-old departed the Etihad Stadium and the Champions of England in the summer in search of first team football for the Black Cats and faces his former employers again
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insists he did not force midfielder Adam Johnson out of the Premier League champions' side.The Italian admitted that the England international had grown frustrated with his lack of first team opportunities at City and now faces the man he sold to Sunderland for £10 million in the summer for the second time since his departure.
"I didn't say to him to leave. Adam said he wanted to always play and for that reason I let him go," Mancini told reporters.
The 24-year-old has made a quiet start to life at the Stadium of Light, scoring two goals in 15 appearances in the league this season and has seen his international opportunities dwindle as a consequence.
"For me Adam was an important player but I understand the situation," Mancini continued.
"He is young, he wants to play every game."
Mancini's side are second in the league heading into the Boxing Day fixtures, four points behind leaders Manchester United having gained two points on them after their rivals' 1-1 draw at Swansea on Sunday.
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Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
6:11 PM BST
Right, allow me to redirect you back to Twitter because Goal's Carlo Garganese has just logged on for a live Q&A session, so start tweeting him your questions.
6:08 PM BST
Dortmund are keen: They've already arrived at Wembley. Former Dortmund defender Christoph Metzelder can understand his old side's desire to get to the ground as early as possible. "This is the most horrible time ahead of the match," he told Sky Germany. "The tension is huge on the way to the stadium until you can finally warm-up and get on the pitch."
However, former Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld says it doesn't matter when Dortmund arrive, they're still not going to lift the Champions League tonight: "Bayern has to win the title; it's just their time. They won't let a third final in four years slip away from them."
However, former Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld says it doesn't matter when Dortmund arrive, they're still not going to lift the Champions League tonight: "Bayern has to win the title; it's just their time. They won't let a third final in four years slip away from them."
6:02 PM BST
Now back to our man, Jay Jaffa, who is outside the ground:
"I've just had a chat with a man called Helmut. As you will see from the photo, Helmut arrived here by bicycle ... He said: 'It took me 10 days. I didn't see the sun once: it was raining, powerful winds, horrible, but I made it. I rode 554 miles to get here but ... I don't have a ticket.'
"Ouch! I feel for Helmut, he looks absolutely drained and I reckon he was relying on the gift of charity as his way in, but alas it is yet to find him."
"I've just had a chat with a man called Helmut. As you will see from the photo, Helmut arrived here by bicycle ... He said: 'It took me 10 days. I didn't see the sun once: it was raining, powerful winds, horrible, but I made it. I rode 554 miles to get here but ... I don't have a ticket.'
"Ouch! I feel for Helmut, he looks absolutely drained and I reckon he was relying on the gift of charity as his way in, but alas it is yet to find him."
5:53 PM BST
Just a reminder that our Champions League quiz is still going on over on Twitter, so there's still time to get involved. Another cracking question from quizmaster Chris Myson:
In this year's competition, five Barcelona players have completed more passes than anyone else - name them!
In this year's competition, five Barcelona players have completed more passes than anyone else - name them!
5:50 PM BST
The whole sporting world is watching tonight. Indeed, not even the glitz and glamour on offer in Monte Carlo will get in the way of F1 driver Nico Rosberg watching the Champions League final. His mother might, though! Clad in a Bayern jersey with his name on the back, Rosberg was interviewed by Sky Sport Germany earlier and explained that his sole focus at the moment is finding somewhere to watch the game, given his Dortmund-supporting mother is threatening to disown him. "I might have trouble getting into the house!" he admitted.
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