Mario Balotelli is hoping Manchester City team-mate Carlos Tevez decides to stay at Eastlands but insists the club will be able to cope should the talismanic Argentine leave.
PA PhotosMario Balotelli believes Carlos Tevez can easily be replaced should he leave Man City
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On The Move: Transfer Blog
The Tevez transfer saga took a new twist on Wednesday when Corinthians pulled out of a move to sign him, leaving the former Manchester United star’s future very much up in the air.
He has consistently stated over the past few months that he wants to leave City to move closer to his family in South America, but that now looks unlikely to materialise.
The latest development in his Tevez’s protracted departure from Eastlands appears to leave him in limbo, but Balotelli says the club will be able to move forward whether he stays or goes.
“It does not matter if Carlos is here or not,” Balotelli said. “If Carlos is here it’s good, while if he goes away I’m sure someone else will arrive.
“But how I play is all down to me. It doesn’t matter who else is at Manchester City.
“Carlos is a great player, so I hope he’s going to stay. But I’ve seen great players leave clubs before. It happened at Inter. This is football.
“We have a good team here. If a player wants to leave it’s his decision but we’ll still be a good team.”
Balotelli polarised opinion during a tumultuous first season at City but is confident he will be able to improve on his ten goals in 2010-11 when the new campaign starts.
“I hope there will be a lot of goals to come from me this season,” he said. “I thought my first season was so-so. I know I can score a lot more. I will show City fans this season what I can do.”