Hiddink shadow looms large over Mancini at Man City

Guus Hiddink's shadow is looming large at Manchester City.

The Daily Mail says City boss Roberto Mancini is reluctant to put down roots in Manchester because he knows he will be for the high jump in June if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Failure to deliver that Champions League place will almost certainly end his stay in Manchester, with both him and the club believed to have a break clause in his three-and-a-half-year contract that will be reviewed this summer.

That is the main reason why Mancini stays in a hotel. He refuses to buy a house or apartment and move his wife over from Italy until there is a guarantee of a more permanent future.

In an interview in Italy, he said: "If I get an apartment, that means that fourth place is becoming reality. From there, I can really launch the true City project."

City made overtures to Hiddink, as well as Jose Mourinho, before appointing Mancini, and the Dutchman’s name continues to come up among the list of possible replacements if City do decide to part with the Italian at the end of the season.