Notts County 1 Manchester City: England blow after Johnson ruled out by injury

Roberto Mancini has confirmed that Manchester City winger Adam Johnson will be ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.

Johnson suffered ligament damage in a freak incident during training on Thursday and scans have confirmed Mancini's worst fears.

"We have lost Adam Johnson for three months," said Mancini.

"This will be a very big problem because he is an important player.

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"The injury is like the one Aleksandar Kolarov had earlier this season. We do not have another player like Adam."

Mancini also ruled out a bid for wantaway Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and confirmed skipper Carlos Tevez had missed out yesterday's FA Cup fourth round trip to Notts County with a back injury rather than merely being rested, as it was thought.

Tevez should be back for Wednesday's trip to Birmingham, part of a glut of fixtures that mean City will not play their FA Cup replay until the weekend of the fifth round in three weeks' time after snatching a late equaliser at Notts County.

Neal Bishop nodded the hosts in front after an hour and for a while it looked as though the world's oldest Football League club would claim the scalp of the country's most expensive team.

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But Edin Dzeko popped up 10 minutes from time, turning home Micah Richards's cross to keep City alive in a competition where they will now meet Aston Villa in the fifth round if they get through.

"We didn't deserve to lose but this is the FA Cup," said Mancini.

"We didn't want a replay before the game but I am happy to have one now."

The injury will rule Johnson out for the bulk of the rest of the season, with Mancini joking that

the winger will return "for the final".

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It will also cause Fabio Capello a headache because the former Middlesbrough player will be absent from England's friendly with Denmark in Copenhagen next month and more importantly, the Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales in Cardiff on March 26.

And, for Shaun Wright-Phillips, it might mean that he has to remain at Eastlands rather than get the move he wants, having handed in a transfer request ahead of today's deadline.

"I can understand his position," said Mancini.

"We haven't had any offers for Wright-Phillips at this moment but it is difficult for Shaun to join another team now.

"We still have another 24 hours, so anything can happen but it probably affects it."

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Ince was full of praise for his players afterwards and insisted they deserve credit for their enterprising performance.

"I know how these games work," said the former England captain.

"You are playing a lesser team and you think you can cruise through. I did it with Manchester United.

"It is not the case. Belief can overcome complacency.

"On days like this, the club from the lower echelons should be given the credit they deserve not have people say City did not play well. We stopped them playing.

"It just felt like the clock stopped after we scored."

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It means another money-spinning trip to Premier League opposition for County, who defeated Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the last round.

"We earned a few quid at Sunderland. Now we will get a few more at Manchester City," said Ince.

And Mancini might need to watch out after ordering special red wine from his old adversary, then not turning up to drink it.

"Brian Kidd and David Platt came in and I have known them both for a long time, so that was nice, but I didn't see Roberto," laughed Ince.

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"He told me to make sure I got some nice red wine too. I will pour it over his head when I see him."

Manchester City are to send a formal letter of complaint to Notts County after a senior official was denied access to the area around the dressing rooms at Meadow Lane.

Vicky Kloss, City's director of communications, was attempting to make contact with manager Roberto Mancini ahead of his TV interviews before yesterday's FA Cup tie when she was told by a steward she would not be allowed into the players' tunnel.

City claimed she was told she was being denied entry because she is a woman, which Notts County deny.

More angry words were exchanged after the 1-1 draw.

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The episode came just eight days after Richard Keys and Andy Gray engaged in their infamous criticism of assistant referee Sian Massey at Molineux.

Notts County denied the claims from City, insisting Kloss was not prevented from entering the area because of her gender, but because she did not have the right pass.

A County spokesman said: "It's nothing to do with her being a woman. She was trying to get into an area without the correct accreditation."

However, it has been established that Kloss' junior colleague, who is male, had been allowed to enter the same area five minutes earlier without being asked for a pass, which he did not have anyway.

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City are so incensed about the manner in which their staff were treated that they intend to write to County chief executive Jim Rodwell for an explanation.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was celebrating at the weekend after pulling off a second January transfer window signing.

Stephane Sessegnon has joined the club from Paris St Germain for a fee of around 6m.

The 26-year-old Benin international, who has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, will join Sulley Muntari at the Stadium of Light after the Ghana midfielder signed on loan from Inter Milan for the remainder of the season.

Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul will undergo an operation on his knee and is expected to be ruled out for six weeks, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp confirmed yesterday.