Mancini: Tevez future unclear

Roberto Mancini admitted that he did not know what sort of commitment to expect from Carlos Tevez beyond the summer after his hat-trick in Manchester City's FA Cup victory over Barnsley.

The striker was in inspired form as City crushed their Championship opponents 5-0 to book a place in the semi-finals, with Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva also among the goals.

His long-term future remains the subject of speculation as his contract expires in 2014 and he has previously expressed a desire to return to Argentina, but Mancini is focused on what he can do for City for the remainder of this term.

"Now it is important that Carlos continues to score because we need his goals until the end of the season," said Mancini.

"After that I don't know what commitment (there will be) in the summer. Carlos has another year contract. It depends on him.

"At the moment we can say nothing. Our focus should be only on the last two months.

"Carlos has said many times that he wants to come back to Argentina and it depends on him for this, but now we don't think about this situation."

Mancini took Tevez off with 14 minutes remaining and the pair exchanged words on the touchline, but the manager insists there was no quarrel.

He was delighted with Tevez's performance and was just disappointed that fellow forward Edin Dzeko was unable to get on the score sheet.

"I asked him if he had a problem in his hamstring and he said no. That was it," said Mancini.

"I'm very sorry for Edin because it was very important in this game that both strikers scored a goal but sometimes that isn't possible. But three goals is good for Carlos."



Highlights: Carlos Tevez inspired Manchester City to a 5-0 win over Championship Barnsley - 48 hours after being arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified.

Tevez arrested and could be Jailed

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified and could be jailed for up to six months if found guilty.



The forward, who was banned from driving for six months on January 16, was arrested on Thursday near his home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.



Tevez was allegedly at the wheel of a white Porsche Cayenne when he was held by police as a result of ‘information provided’.



He was taken to a nearby station for questioning before being bailed.



A spokeswoman for Cheshire Police said: ‘At 5.13pm yesterday police arrested a 29-year-old man from Alderley Edge on the A538 in Macclesfield.



‘The man was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst disqualified and has since been released on police bail.’



Tevez received his recent ban after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to furnish information relating to incidents in which another of his vehicles, a Hummer, was caught speeding. He also admitted not holding a correct UK driving licence.



The former Manchester United striker was previously stopped by authorities on the M60 in 2009 when he was caught driving without a licence and having windows that were illegally tinted.



On that occasion his car was impounded and he was given a prohibition notice by Greater Manchester Police.



On the field, the Argentinean striker has been struggling for form this season and has scored just nine times for City in the Premier League.



He is rumoured to be leaving City this summer after being linked with a move to big-spending French side PSG.

City to offer Tevez new deal

Manchester City intend to offer Carlos Tevez a new contract to prevent the striker leaving for free when his current deal expires in 18 months.



Roberto Mancini has been impressed with the Argentinian's attitude since their infamous falling out last season, and he expects talks to begin shortly.



Mancini said: "I don't know what Carlos thinks about this. We have another 18 months and I think we have the time to talk with him about this. When Carlos takes his decision, he will talk with us."



When asked whether a one-year extension could be an option, Mancini added: "Yes, this could be because Carlos is 28 and he has other years to play. I think that this could be an option.



"His behaviour is very good, he works very well. He is an important player because he has experience in this moment and also now he can help Mario which is important."



Mancini is not concerned about trailing Manchester United by seven points, even if the gap was to grow this weekend.



"They play at home against Liverpool and we play against Arsenal away," he added. "Everything is possible in this moment but it doesn't change anything.



"Last year United recovered when we were five points up and after Arsenal we went eight points behind. United recovered 13 points. So, we can recover 10. It is not a problem."