Mancini soaks up his hour in the sun

Abu Dhabi: Roberto Mancini is taking a well-deserved break, soaking up all the sunshine he can here in the UAE capital after having delivered a stunning English Premier League title for Manchester City in chilly conditions last week.

Commenting on his stay in Abu Dhabi, the City manager said yesterday: "I like the people, I like the beach, I like the sun. I would like to stay ten days because I need the sun."

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, the Italian added that City will be buying players this summer, but stressed it would not be an easy task.

‘Good team'

"We will buy some good players because we need to improve the team," he said. "We have a good team, it is important we can put in a player that can play with this team."

The Italian also praised the launch of the Manchester City Soccer School here as a huge step forward. "I think this is a fantastic initiative and I think it is very important to do this in other countries because the kids are our future.

"I think that after this championship, we can come here a number of times in a year. When there's a week without a game, we can come here to meet all the young players," he said, confirming his commitment to Abu Dhabi.

Mancini predicted a bright future for players from the region. "I think that in the last ten years, football here has improved a lot."