Roberto Mancini has received a barrage of criticism in recent months for several choices he has made as Manchester City manager, but his decision to offload Stephen Ireland to Aston Villa looks to be a masterstroke.
The Irishman signed a four-year contract with the Midlands club after he was sold in a part-exchange deal that saw James Milner move to Eastlands.
Ireland had spent large spells on the substitutes bench in the second half of the season after excelling himself in the previous campaign, while Mancini had openly questioned his temperament.
The move to Villa looked to be a fresh start for the midfielder as he would be playing under Martin O’Neill, who may have been able to nurture Ireland’s undoubted talent.
However, O’Neill left the club just before the start of the season and since then, things have gone from bad to worse for Ireland.
His first appearance came as Villa slipped to a 6-0 thumping at Newcastle and although midfielders Stiliyan Petrov, Steve Sidwell, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marc Albrighton have been missing in the Villa midfield in recent weeks, Ireland can not claim a regular starting berth.
In twelve appearances for Villa – five from the substitutes bench – Ireland has been well below his best, has yet to register a goal and has already been linked with a move away from Villa Park – just under four months since his arrival. Those who brought football shirts with his name on it when he made the move certainly won’t be happy with this news.
O’Neill’s replacement, Gerard Houllier, is prepared to adopt a patient approach and give Ireland a chance to “settle in” at the club but, like Mancini, the Frenchman has admitted that he needs to show a better attitude.
So, on his showing so far, would it be fair to say that Mancini has been vindicated with his decision to sell the former Republic of Ireland international?
It would be foolish to write off the Villa midfielder as, at 24, the best years of his career should be ahead of him.
Ireland, it should not be forgotten, is a tremendous player on his day and his award as Manchester City’s Senior Player of the Year and his nomination for the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year in the 2008/09 season is testament to that.
His replacement at Manchester City – Milner, who went one better than Ireland by winning the PFA Young Player of the Year last season – is also struggling to find his feet at Eastlands, although the Leeds-born £24 million signing is making regular starts under Mancini.
However, Ireland is seen as a disruptive influence on the dressing room and he may have clashed with one of the more high-profile players at City.
Swapping him with the much more sedate Milner will reap rewards on the pitch eventually – the England international’s class will shine through.
Ireland could have given Mancini one more headache that he did not need this season – his departure was a good thing for the Italian and for the Blues.
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