Carlos Tevez in derby drama as daughter is hurt

Last updated : 12 February 2011 By Daily Mail

Tevez missed training on Friday following the incident on Thursday in which one-year-old Katie trapped two of her fingers in a door.

I'm ready, gaffer: Tevez will lead the line for City despite his daughter's incident

The South American had to endure an anxious wait as surgeons in Manchester reconnected the tips of his daughter's fingers and tried to repair severely damaged tendons.

It is expected that the procedure will turn out to be a success, but according to those close to him, Tevez has been left deeply distressed by the incident.

Katie and her sister Florencina live with their mother - from whom Tevez is estranged - in Argentina and have been spending time with their father in England.

Before the home game against Wolves last month he carried both girls out on to the pitch with him before kick-off.

Head boy: City striker Balotelli sports a new look at the club's training ground

Happy that Katie is being taken care of, Tevez yesterday told City manager Roberto Mancini that he is ready to play today against his old club in what could be one of the defining games of the Barclays Premier League season.

With United missing central defenders Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand, City can move to within two points of their bitter rivals if they win at Old Trafford for only the second time since 1974, though United will still have a game in hand.

City have their own doubts over midfielder Nigel de Jong and striker Mario Balotelli. Neither will start today's game, nor will City's ?27million striker Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian will start the game on the bench.

Warming the bench: new boy Dzeko is likely to be a substitute

Last night United manager Sir Alex Ferguson backed his team to recover from the setback of losing at Wolves last weekend and strengthen their position as league leaders with a victory.

Ferguson said: 'It's not pressure but it's always hanging over you when you are unbeaten. 'But now the focus has changed from that to just winning the league again. That's the name of the game, and I've said that all along. This unbeaten run should not interfere with the fact that our focus is on winning the league.

'In the run-in teams will drop points. It's a fact, whoever gets the most consistent form will win the league. 'But our home form has generally been very good and we go into this game with confidence.'

Mancini was expected to restore Dzeko to his line-up today after persuading the Bosnian FA not to select him for the midweek friendly against Mexico in Atlanta.

However, it is now expected that Tevez will be his team's lone forward as the visitors adopt a safety-first approach.

Nevertheless, last night Mancini underlined his belief that City can go to Old Trafford and win. The City manager said: 'We play always to win. We won 3-0 against Liverpool with only Carlos up front. We can play with Dzeko, we can play with Carlos. It is important the team has balance and doesn'tleave any space for United because they can open space and that is terrible for us.'

United stressed yesterday that Ferdinand's calf problem is not connected to the back injury that ruined last season for the England captain. Ferguson said: 'It could have happened to anyone. It's nothing to do with his back. That was our main concern. It'll just be a couple of weeks.'

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Source: Daily Mail

Source: Daily Mail