Roberto Mancini has assured Joleon Lescott of his importance to Manchester City Football Club.

The England international, currently sidelined with injury, has failed to find his best form since Mark Hughes brought him to the club from Everton for £24million in the summer.

There have been suggestions that Mancini could replace Lescott either this month or at the end of the season, but the Italian insists the player still has a future at Eastlands.

“Lescott is a good, experienced player. I have watched him play in the past, so I know how good he is,” he told the Manchester Evening News. "He has an important part to play in the club's future."

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