The dismissal of Roberto Mancini by Manchester City yesterday was a year to the day he delivered the title to the club. The Italian, who is expected to net a £7million pay-off, was told he was no longer wanted just hours after taking training for City's match at Reading tonight.

Mancini is believed to have been told by chief executive Ferran Soriano last night that he was being sacked, says the Daily Mail.

Mancini then took a call from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who is in Abu Dhabi.

After City lost the FA Cup final to Wigan on Saturday, the board decided to bring the curtain down on Mancini's time as quickly as possible to avoid the bad publicity that would have followed if he had stood on the touchline at Reading when people knew he was finished.