Roberto Mancini insists he and Mario Balotelli will remain at Manchester City

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    By James Fielden

    11 May 2011 09:25:00

    EPL,Mario Balotelli,Roberto Mancini,Manchester City vs Bolton Wanderers(Getty Images)

    EPL,Mario Balotelli,Roberto Mancini,Manchester City vs Bolton Wanderers(Getty Images)

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    Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says he and Mario Balotelli will both remain at the club next season.

    Despite reported bust-ups with players at City this season, the club secured Champions League football next season with a win against Spurs on Tuesday.

    Mancini says that finishing fourth and winning the FA Cup would be an extraordinary season, and having had no other managerial offers for next term, he wants to stay in Manchester.

    “To go after all this work and all we have achieved would not be smart,” Mancini was quoted as saying by The Sun.

    “I didn’t receive any new offers and, in any case, my absolute priority is to achieve the right results and the right trophy wins with City.

    “I worked hard on this project and the steps have been both forward and positive.

    “Now we are a team.”

    Mancini has praised the work of the men funding the purchases and wages at City, and says that owner Sheik Mansour and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak are happy with the job he is doing at Eastlands.

    “Both Sheik Mansour and Khaldoon Al Mubarak are satisfied with our development,” Mancini added.

    “They are ideal men to have as your directors.

    “They know you can’t build anything important without investing the right amount of time as well as money.

    “Achieving fourth would mean our principal aim for the season has been achieved and the season is already positive.

    “If we get fourth and win the Cup, then it is an extraordinary season given the last time City won something was as long ago as 1976.

    “I am sure that, if we win the FA Cup, next season we will fight to win the title.”

    Despite scoring 10 goals in his debut season for City, Balotelli has had his reputation dented by numerous stories about his behaviour off the pitch.

    However, Mancini says that his £24m signing last summer was one for the future, adding: “He will definitely stay.

    “Mario is an ongoing bet.

    “He has shown he has all the right qualities but needs to do more, much more, to give sense to his talent.”

    Reports have included stories of the Italian throwing darts out of a window at training and more recently having his car towed away 27 times after illegal parking.

    “If he could perhaps maybe even walk to the restaurant he would become a champion,” Mancini joked.

    “His car has not been towed 27 times, it’s a bit less than that.

    “But, yes, he does get lots of fines and that’s because, even though he lives just 500 metres from the restaurant, he goes by car.

    “You can’t park in front of the place, so he parks on the pavement.”

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    Roberto Mancini insists he and Mario Balotelli will remain at Manchester City