Picture of Balotelli bust-up with Mancini

It is reported Mancini stepped in after Balotelli went in too strongly on team-mate Scott Sinclair for the City boss' liking.

Balotelli is reported to have taken exception to Mancini's intervention, leading to the pair having to be pulled apart. In the sequence of pictures, Mancini strides towards Balotelli, pointing in an aggressive manner.

He is then seen to grab hold of Balotelli's orange bib in an apparent act of fury before the young striker is dragged away by a member of City's coaching staff.

A short time later, Balotelli is believed to have left the training ground at Carrington, on the outskirts of Manchester.

While it is not the first furious argument Balotelli and Mancini have had – the pair have exchanged words both on the training ground and in matches – it does come in a period where the City manager's faith in the striker is beginning to wane.

Even last season, when Balotelli's dismissal at Arsenal in April led to Mancini declaring he might never play for the club again, there was always a thought he would eventually come good.

After providing the pass for Sergio Aguero's last-gasp title-winning goal against QPR the following month, Balotelli went on to enjoy a superb Euro 2012.

Yet a lacklustre performance in the final has been followed by some inept contributions for City, including against Manchester United when he was surprisingly preferred to Carlos Tevez.

Striker Balotelli, 22, has been involved in a series of controversies during his time at the club. City have declined to comment on this latest incident.

In December, Balotelli was set to take City to a tribunal over a two-week fine for missing 12 games last season because of suspensions.

He later dropped the action and accepted the punishment, prompting Mancini to say he was willing to give the striker another chance.