Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has insisted that Mario Balotelli did not play well against Wigan Athletic despite opening the scoring.

Balotelli broke the deadlock 20 minutes from time at the DW Stadium with a composed finish from close range.

James Milner made the points safe three minutes later to keep City a point behind Manchester United at the top of the table.

Mancini believes that Balotelli must try harder despite bagging a goal in his first Premier League start of the season.

He told BBC Sport: "We were lucky. I think I am lucky. Wigan played 3-4-3 and we had a problem with them on the channel.

"When we changed we did not have any problems. I think Mario can do better. He scored one important goal but can continue to improve. For me, he did not play very well."

Balotelli's future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, with both AC Milan and Inter linked with a move for the forward.