According to the Manchester Evening News, Stephen Ireland has been left “distraught” and “embarrassed” by Manchester City’s insistence that their 2009 Player of the Year trains with the reserves.
The well informed newspaper reports that Roberto Mancini’s first team coach David Platt informed the 23-year-old, who has been linked with moves to Aston Villa and Fulham, to train with Manchester City’s reserves at their Carrington training complex because he was not part of the Italian’s 25-man Premier League squad.
The newspaper quotes a source that suggests Ireland looked “distraught and was left scratching his head” following a ten minute exchange with Platt, which resulted in the midfielder being walked to the reserves’ training pitch.
The onlooker told the Manchester Evening News: “He looked a bit embarrassed training with the reserves and was certainly not whole-hearted, not surprising as he was player of the year just two years ago.”
Ireland is reportedly demanding a £2 million payoff from his current employers as Manchester City endeavour to complete the signing of Aston Villa’s James Milner, and yesterday, Mancini urged Ireland to leave Eastlands.
The Italian told Sky Sports News: “Stephen Ireland is a good player but he has been here all his life and he needs to change,
"Sometimes it can happen that a player stays with the same squad for 15 years and plays well but a moment arrives when he needs to change.
"Now is time for him. I really think he can improve."
Do Manchester City fans have sympathy for Stephen Ireland? Is Mancini right to segregate Ireland from the players selected in his 25-man squad? Have your say in the comments section below.