By ADAM SHERGOLD
Roberto Mancini has ordered Mario Balotelli to ‘start thinking about his job’ after the Italians stormed down the tunnel after being replaced just minutes into the second half of the Manchester derby.
The Manchester City boss gambled on his mercurial striker, handing him a start over the in-form Carlos Tevez at the Etihad Stadium.
But his decision backfired as United stormed into a two goal lead before Tevez came off the bench to help launch a comeback, only for Robin van Persie to steal all three points in the dying seconds.
And Balotelli’s day didn’t get any better after the final whistle – as he tried to escape the ground in his camouflaged Bentley Continental GT, he was mobbed by Man United fans.
‘I love Mario but it is important for him to start to think about his job,’ said Mancini.
‘He has everything to play well but he can’t continue to play like today. We wanted more from him.
‘When you have a player that has Mario’s quality, you cannot understand why he continues to throw it out of the window. It is incredible.
‘I have seen players in my life with fantastic quality. But in the end, they did nothing.
‘I don’t want Mario to finish like these players. It would be bad for him.’
He did later return to the bench to watch the remainder of the game, in which a City side energised by Tevez’s introduction did manage to fight back to 2-2 before succumbing 3-2.
Balotelli has scored just three times this season for City and once for Italy and today’s tantrum will only heighten speculation that Balotelli may look for a move away from City in January.
