Roberto Mancini hits back at Nigel De Jong's critics
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has hit back at Nigel De Jong's critics, claiming that the tackle which broke Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg was “unlucky”.
The Holland international was widely condemned for his strong challenge on the Frenchman, which occurred during City’s 2-1 English Premier League win over Newcastle United on 3 October. Among the critics was Bert van Marwijk, who was so incensed at the ‘reckless’
tackle that he decided to drop De Jong from the Netherlands squad for UEFA 2012 European Football Championship qualifying matches.
Winger Ben Arfa had to undergo surgery on a broken tibula and fibula and Mancini was sorry for Ben Arfa.
He told reporters that: “First of all, I am very, very sorry for Ben Arfa because he is a good player. I hope he can play very, very good. I never saw the tackle until two days ago. It was very, very unlucky because it was a normal tackle, not all the things
people talk about it."
However, the Italian defended De Jong, claiming that the Dutchman was disappointed to have been dropped from Van Marwijk’s squad.
'De Jong is an honest player'
He said that: "I think he is disappointed for this. This is normal as he always worked 100 per cent for Holland team. He's a honest player and a hard player. In the Premier League, in Italy, in Spain, there are a lot of players like Nigel that play 100 per
cent always for the team. Sometimes, you can do one too hard but, he is an honest player and good player."
The issue has led to rumours that De Jong is so upset with Van Marwijk that he is considering a temporary retirement from international football while the Holland national team coach is still in charge.
However, when Mancini was asked whether De Jong wanted to continue playing for his country, he said that: "Yes, I think so. Why not? He is an important player for the team but this depends on the Holland manager."
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