Mancini plays down axe talk

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini intends to see out his contract and claims he will not be sacked if he fails to secure the title.

The Italian will have one year remaining on his current deal at the end of the campaign but there has been speculation he could be axed from his post if City fail to land the Premier League title. City host Manchester United on Monday knowing a victory would move them back to the top of the table, albeit by virtue of a superior goal difference, with just two games to play. The pressure is on the Etihad Stadium side, who let a huge lead slip before recovering an eight point deficit to set up a massive Manchester derby, but Mancini remains relaxed over his own future and is confident he will still be in charge of City next season. Speaking to France Football, Mancini said: "I have one year left on my contract, but I am not worried about it. The chairman Khaldoon [al Mubarak] and the owner Sheikh Mansour are serious people. "One victory or defeat is not going to change things. We have set a project in place and we respect that. "After that, in football, anything can change, but I have an excellent relationship with Khaldoon and we speak several times a week. He likes to know all about the team, the players. "We are improving. We have played very well and we were top for 28 games." The former Inter Milan boss, who won three consecutive titles during his tenure with the Nerazzurri, remains confident that City will win the Premier League title in the future - even if they fail to secure league glory this season. He added: "If Manchester City do not win the league this season, we will win it next season and we will be successful in the future years."