Manchester City's Mario Balotelli has clashed with manager Roberto Mancini in a new training ground bust-up.

The Mirror claims that the Italians exchanged hostilities at the Sky Blues' Carrington base in an incident which saw the striker ordered to train alone.

Balotelli is said to have stood his ground until City coach Attilio Lombardo stepped in and convinced him to back down.

The forward has been involved in similar training ground incidents with a string of teammates, including Jerome Boateng, Carlos Tevez and Vincent Kompany.

The reason behind the latest spat has not been disclosed.

Written by
Mark Langshaw