Manchester City defender Gael Clichy has admitted that Roberto Mancini's dismissal as manager has been difficult to deal with for the first-team squad.
Mancini paid the price for a season without silverware at the Etihad, with Manuel Pellegrini in pole position to take his place this summer.
Clichy believes that while Mancini must ultimately be held accountable for a campaign that flattered to deceive, his sacking deserves to be considered harsh based on the Italian's past success.
He told The Mirror: "For me, it's difficult as he obviously brought me to the club. And if you look at his record, it's difficult to understand. He's won trophies and the club's first title after 44 years.
"I said a few weeks ago that if you take on a new manager in a way you're just going backwards, because the new man will want to bring in new players who will need time to adapt. So, in a way, you can think you're going backwards. But in the vision of the chairman and the staff, the club needs to progress and he felt it was the right time for Mancini to go.
"It's the fans right to be worried because the guy won them three trophies in three years, which is quite amazing. But you have to live with it, he's gone. Thanks for everything he did for the club but now we have to look forward to the future."
Brian Kidd is currently in temporary charge of a City side that has travelled to New York for a pair of post-season friendlies against Chelsea across the pond.
