Mancini puts talk of Vieira switch on hold
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini wants all talk of new signings put on the back-burner until after Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final showdown with Manchester United.
It has been suggested that former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira will be re-united with Mancini in the next few days after agreeing a loan move from Inter Milan.
Although Vieira is no longer the force of old, he would add some extra toughness to the City midfield as well as being a familiar face for Mancini to work with as he tries to turn the Blues into a top-four outfit.
There certainly appears to be little future for Vieira at Inter, where he has failed to impress Jose Mourinho.
Yet, although Mancini accepts City are now a major worldwide attraction, he does not want anything getting in the way of preparations for United's visit.
"All the players want to join Manchester City," he said.
"That is normal with a big club who is going to have a big future.
"People are not only talking about Patrick Vieira, they are also saying Ivan Cordoba and Cristian Chivu (who are also at Inter Milan).
"They are all good players but the most important thing for me is the match against Manchester United.
"The other things we can talk about with the club after the derby. We will see then."
Meanwhile, Mancini has confirmed record signing Robinho and defender Micah Richards should be available for the midweek encounter, while Shaun Wright-Phillips is still struggling to overcome an injury that has prevented him from figuring at all under the new manager.
Roque Santa Cruz is also a major doubt with a knee injury, while Nedum Onuoha definitely misses out with calf strain.
It means 19-year-old Congo-born Belgian Dedryck Boyata is set to keep his place after impressing on his debut during the FA Cup third round win at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments