Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini rues Adam Johnson absence

Manchester City's manager, Roberto Mancini, is starting to discover the cost of Adam Johnson's ankle injury. Johnson hurt himself in training at the end of January, giving Mancini negligible time to find a replacement. Although the 23-year-old did not always get on with his manager, Mancini retained a healthy respect for Johnson and was always aware of the talent that could unlock defences. However, after yesterday's 1-1 draw with Fulham Mancini confirmed that Johnson will be missing for at least another month and they need him back badly. "After Adam Johnson got injured we had a big problem because he is different to the other players," Mancini said. "We don't have anyone else like that but he won't be back for another month." To make matters worse for City David Silva is sidelined after he started to experience pain in the same ankle on which he needed surgery a couple of years ago and Shaun Wright-Phillips, an unused substitute yesterday, is plagued by a back injury that leaves him able to complete only 20 minutes of a first-team game. In addition to those problems, Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards, Nigel de Jong and Shay Given are absent and the England midfielder James Milner is nursing his way back to full fitness after hamstring problems. As a result Mancini has scrapped the idea of practice, preferring to dedicate the two spare days his side get between matches at present purely to recovery. "We are so tired and fatigue is a factor," he said. "At the moment we need all the players available because one match every three days, week after week, is very hard. "But I can't keep the players fresh because we only have 14. We can't practise. It is not possible to train. We prepare for matches but we only have 48 hours to recover. It is a big problem." After 35 years without a trophy no silverware can be passed up, so he must send out a strong side to face Aston Villa in Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie, knowing a home quarter-final against Everton or Reading is the prize. Next week City have a Europa League trip to Dynamo Kiev and in between there is a Premier League encounter with Wigan Athletic, so a draw, which would condemn City to a Villa Park replay next Monday, must be avoided. "It is starting to get tough," Mancini said . "The priorities are third place and to win a cup. It is important to be in the cup competitions but it is also important that we reach the Champions League. "Now Tottenham are three points behind with a game in hand and Chelsea have two. It will be hard but we are third and we should do everything to stay there."