Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini hit back on Wednesday at rebel striker Carlos Tevez’s claims that he was ‘treated like a dog’, claiming he probably over-indulged the Argentine.

“I totally disagree with Carlos, what he said, because I never treated him badly. Maybe the opposite – I treated him too well, always,” Mancini said.

Tevez has claimed an angry Mancini swore at him during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich in September, where the forward’s refusal to warm-up incensed his Italian boss.

The striker hasn’t played for City since that September 27 match in Germany but returned to Eastlands on Tuesday to try to revive a career that has effectively been suspended for more than three months.