Mancini sacked! A year after winning the title City fire Italian

Roberto Mancini’s reign as Manchester City manager was ended in brutal fashion last night as he was labelled a failure and sacked a year to the day after he won the Barclays Premier League title.

The Italian, who is expected to net a £7million pay-off, was told he was no longer wanted just hours after taking training for City’s match at Reading tonight.

City, whose statement bizarrely addressed the need for the club to develop a ‘holistic approach’, have yet to seal the finer points of a deal for Malaga’s Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini. Mancini’s assistant Brian Kidd has been put in charge for the last two games of the season.

Final farewell: Roberto Mancini has been sacked by Manchester City after losing the FA Cup final

No allies: Mancini, pictured at Loftus Road for a training session yesterday, did not have City's support

On the way out: Mancini pictured leaving his London hotel on Monday morning

Pellegrini, 59, has verbally agreed to take over once City exercise a £3.3m release clause. But he is also being monitored by Barcelona amid concerns over the ability of Tito Vilanova, who has undergone treatment for cancer, to continue as coach at the Nou Camp.Mancini is believed to have been told by chief executive Ferran Soriano last night that he was being sacked. Mancini then took a call from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who is in Abu Dhabi.

After City lost the FA Cup final to Wigan on Saturday, the board decided to bring the curtain down on Mancini’s time as quickly as possible to avoid the bad publicity that would have followed if he had stood on the touchline at Reading when people knew he was finished.

The last walk: Mancini walks to collect his runners-up medal after the FA Cup final defeat to Wigan

Not enough: Mancini won the Premier League and FA Cup in his time at City, but has been sacked

‘This, combined with an identified need to develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club, has meant that the decision has been taken to find a new manager.The statement on City’s website did not spare the feelings of a man who had delivered City’s first league title in 44 years. It read: ‘Despite everyone’s best efforts, the club has failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season’s Champions League.

‘This has been a difficult decision for the owner, chairman and board to make and it is the outcome of a planned end-of-season review process that has been brought forward in light of recent speculation and out of respect for Roberto and his extensive contributions to the football club.’

Bizarrely, City chairman Al Mubarak added: ‘Roberto’s record speaks for itself and he has the respect and gratitude of Sheik Mansour, myself and the board for all his hard work and commitment over the last three-and-a-half years.

‘He has clearly also secured the love and respect of our fans. He has done as he promised and delivered silverware and success, breaking the club’s 35-year trophy drought and securing the title in 2012.