Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
For Mancini stuns Platt
DAVID PLATT finds it “incredible” that Italy’s Euro 2020 manager Roberto Mancini has not been linked with a return to the Premier League.
Former England star Platt was Mancini’s No.2 when Manchester City won their first league title during the Sheikh Mansour reign.
The pair (below) forged a close friendship during their time together as players in Italy’s Serie A with Sampdoria and Platt knows what makes 56-year-old Mancini tick.
“It never surprised me that Robbie created a winning team with Italy because that’s what he has done all through his career,” said Platt.
“But I am absolutely amazed that he has not been linked with clubs over the last five or six years in England when you look at his CV and what he has done.
“The job at Spurs was going this summer and there was Everton as well, who managed to persuade another Italian, Carlo Ancelotti, to go there. I find it incredible that he has not been linked with jobs like these.”
Platt believes that Mancini will now extend his stay with the Euro 2020 winners to encompass next year’s World Cup finals.
He added: “I would be very surprised if he didn’t do the World Cup in Qatar because you would want that on your CV. It’s only 14 months away, so why not?
“After that, if they do well then it’s likely he would be looking to get back into club management.
“I think he would come back to the Premier League if he thought he had a chance of winning somewhere.”
It is what took him to Manchester City in December 2009, with Platt joining him the following summer.
“He came on the proviso that they were going to build very quickly. We were after seven players and seven big-name players as well who were all costing a lot of money,” Platt revealed.
“It wasn’t the happiest environment because we had to move players out. Robbie has an ability to blank that out.
“With him it was, ‘Let’s create a harsh environment. If they hate me great, because when they go out on a Saturday they will hate the opposition a little bit more’.”