MANCHESTER CITY BOSS Roberto Mancini has confirmed a dressing-room bust up took place with captain Carlos Tevez last weekend, but insists everything is okay between the pair now.

It had been reported that Argentine striker Tevez and Mancini had a heated argument over tactics at half time during City’s 2-1 win over Newcastle United, when the score was 1-1.

The Italian manager has since confirmed the dust up and described the encounter as “ballsy” but “healthy”.  He told The Guardian:

What happened in our dressing room happens in others as well. And when it matters it is good that it happens. Against Newcastle we had gone to sleep in the first half, so the confrontation with Tevez was exactly the alarm call everybody needed.
The confrontation with Tevez was really ballsy. And in the second half City deservedly won. The alarm call worked well. We [Mancini and Tevez] sorted everything between us before the restart. And when I took him off at the end we shook hands again. Now and then a good shake-up is healthy.

Mancini denied reports that Tevez’s mother had been invoked and insulted in the confrontation dismissing such talk as “b*****ks” and went on to big up the pint sized frontman:

Tevez is up there with them. He scores in the big matches, he fights against defenders 6ft4 tall, he has quality and grit.

Relations between the pair have been fraught ever since Mancini arrived to replace Mark Hughes last year. Tevez made public his disappointment at Hughes being replaced and is understood to be annoyed at having to train twice on a Tuesday when City have no midweek games.