CARLOS TEVEZ has been given permission to fly to Argentina for a four-day break today amid concerns at Manchester City about the striker being homesick and with Roberto Mancini coming to terms with the news that his leading scorer may miss the derby match against Manchester United.

Tevez has been given special dispensation to see his family in Buenos Aires after a scan revealed the injury that forced him out of Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Arsenal is worse than first anticipated.

The initial diagnosis was a dead leg but further tests have shown he might be out for two weeks, making him a doubt for the home game against Alex Ferguson’s team on November 10th.

Mancini has responded by letting the former United striker return to Argentina on condition he undertakes a programme of rehabilitation aimed at getting him fit to face his former club.

Tevez has already scored seven times this season and his absence would be a serious setback for Mancini even though Mario Balotelli, the €29 million signing from Internazionale, is available after missing two months with a knee injury.

The decision to allow Tevez to take control of his own fitness, rather than working with the club’s medical staff, is based on the player missing his family and Mancini’s desire to make sure the man he appointed as captain at the start of the season is settled in his personal life, issues they were aware of before Roque Santa Cruz told a Spanish radio station about them on Tuesday.

Mancini had already allowed him to spend an extra day with his family after the last international break.

Tevez will miss Saturday’s game at Wolves and is expected to stay in Manchester when the squad fly to Poland to play Lech Poznan in the Europa League next week. City then play at West Bromwich Albion three days before the United game and Tevez will target these matches for his comeback.

Santa Cruz, meanwhile, claims there is no rift between Tevez and Mancini. City forward Santa Cruz was quoted as saying that Tevez is not enjoying life at Eastlands and that he is missing his family back home.

This has sparked speculation that the 26-year-old is unhappy at the club, adding fuel to the fire that he is also frustrated under Mancini.

However, while Paraguay international Santa Cruz does not deny that his fellow South American is missing his family, he claims there is no major problem and insists there is no rift with Mancini.

He said: “His relationship with the manager is as good as with any other manager. They may have some differences in terms of what they think in the game but that’s what football is all about.

“The atmosphere in the club is not in terms of people thinking about Tevez and the manager. There is no such thing and their relationship is the same as any professional relationship you can have with any other manager.

“Carlos and the manager are doing the best for the club and Tevez is very passionate. In terms of what they want for the club – they just want the best.

Santa Cruz also insists Tevez is still enjoying his football, adding: “I’m sure that he is enjoying it, you can see by the way he plays football that he is enjoying it.

“I was just saying everybody would love to be around their family in their own country.

“He loves the club and even though he would love to be around his family and his daughters, that’s something we’re living with.”

Santa Cruz himself is expected to leave the club during the January transfer window after not playing Premier League football this season. He remarked: “I have been training as hard I can to look for a place in the team and I couldn’t find the chance to play.”

The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to Spain while speculation has also mounted that he could once more team-up with Mark Hughes at Fulham. “I don’t really mind where to go and play, I just want to feel myself as a footballer again,” he said.

- Guardian Service