Stuart Pearce, the Manchester City manager, has denied that there is a disciplinary problem at the club. Although it is only a little more than two years since Pearce succeeded Kevin Keegan at the City of Manchester Stadium, the manager has had to contend with a string of controversies that have thrown into question his ability to control his players.

Most of the problems have centred on Joey Barton, the England midfield player, who is likely to be sold this summer after a training-ground attack on Ousmane Dabo this week that the Frenchman claimed left him looking like “the Elephant Man”.

Dabo has threatened legal action against Barton, whom he branded “a coward” for the assault that prompted the Englishman’s suspension until the end of the season, but Pearce has defended his management as he prepares for the derby at home to Manchester United tomorrow lunchtime without either player to call upon.

“Right across the board, if it was different individuals then you might say there was a discipline problem,” he said.

A hearing into Barton’s latest brush with controversy is scheduled for the week after the final of the game of the season, away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday week, but while virtually everyone else has been quick to condemn the 24-year-old, the PFA said yesterday that it would not “give up” on the player.