Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has once again had to answer questions surrounding his relationship with temperamental striker Mario Balotelli after the forward was not included in City’s Champions League squad to face Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

Some major news sources were claiming that Mancini dropped Balotelli after he was seen on a night out with British boxer Amir Khan in Manchester on Saturday, but was forced to travel with the squad to the Spanish capital despite knowing he would not be playing.

However, Mancini wanted to make his feelings clear in his weekly press conference that his relationship with the Italian forward was completely fine.

“I want to make this clear; there has been no argument, and no row. Absolutely not,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Mario went in the stand only because we started to play with Carlos Tevez in attack and we couldn't have three strikers on the bench.”

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