The Sports Pages
Stephen Ireland looks to be heading out of Manchester City after the unsettled midfielder was involved in a bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini during the club’s US pre-season tour (The Daily Mirror). After a defeat to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, Mancini apparently told Ireland his form is not good enough, and that he may face being kept out of the City squad altogether.
Ireland has seen his value at Eastlands dwindle drastically since the arrival of boss Mancini, as the ex-Ireland international was named the Manchester City Player of the Year as recently as the end of the 2008/2009 season. Steve Bruce’s Sunderland is thought to be interested in the midfielder, though not at the current asking price of £10m.
Troubled days at Villa Park persist, with Manchester City target and Aston Villa midfielder James Milner holding crisis talks with his current manager Martin O’Neill today over his club future (The Guardian). Milner is thought to be insistent on his club pushing a deal through, though O’Neill apparently claims Milner is showing disloyalty to the club.
In other news of the worsening Villa Park situation, Villa winger Ashley Young is thought to be a target for Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham Hotspur (The Daily Mirror). It is thought that should Milner and Young leave in this transfer window, manager Martin O’Neill may even consider his own future.
