City made a bid for the 23-year-old just before the transfer deadline, but they left it too late to finalise a deal.
“We had to decide between Gago and Mariga,” reflected Mancini.
“I found the Mariga situation incredible because he has been in Europe for seven years and was then good enough to sign for a club like Inter Milan after he couldn’t get a visa for us.
“We did try for Gago again but it was impossible. Probably we will look again in the summer.”
