Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that Adam Johnson "understood" his decision to take him off against Villarreal last night.
The winger was substituted for Gareth Barry while City were trailing by a goal in their Champions League encounter with Spanish outfit Villarreal.
After the switch, the North West side went on to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium courtesy of an own goal and last-minute effort from Sergio Aguero.
Despite his removal from the field, Mancini insists that Johnson bears no grudges over the decision.
"Adam played very well but at that moment I had to do a tactical substitution," Sky Sports News quotes Mancini as saying.
"I spoke with him [afterwards] and he understood this. Sometimes every manager decides to make a substitution. Unfortunately some player has to leave the pitch."
The current Premier League leaders take on second-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford this Sunday.
Danielle Joynson
