In a short statement on the official club website, City effectively declared their ambitious £32.5million investment in the temperamental forward a failure by allowing him to join former club Santos on loan until August.

It ended a turbulent 18 months at Eastlands for the 25-year-old.

Robinho has never given any impression of being comfortable in Manchester since he joined in a staggering British record deal in August last year.

And, given his recent criticism of Roberto Mancini - who left him out of last night's squad for the Carling Cup semi-final defeat at Old Trafford at the player's own request - it is improbable he would return if the Italian was still at the helm next season, even though Mancini has talked optimistically of the player returning to the Blues next term.

It is a disappointing exit for a player who was City's top scorer last term but whose 12 appearances this season have yielded just a single goal.

"Robinho is someone who needs to be playing regularly and we wish him well for the period of his loan," said Mancini, who knew the player wanted to leave to secure his place in the Brazil squad for this summer's World Cup.

Although there will be some who will view the entire Robinho saga with a degree of merriment, releasing the player actually confirms the progress City have made since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in August last year.

At the time, with Sheikh Mansour desperate to confirm his ownership status with a marquee signing, Robinho was the best option available given he had fallen out with Real Madrid, who in turn refused to sanction a transfer to his preferred destination, Chelsea.

Since then though, City have established themselves to such an extent few will lament the exit of a 25-year-old who infamously walked out of a warm weather training camp in Tenerife 12 months ago and also failed to return to the Blues' base in Abu Dhabi in November after being given permission to fly to Qatar, where Brazil were training ahead of their friendly victory over England.

At the same time as the finishing touches were being applied to the Robinho deal, City were expressing an interest in Middlesbrough's Adam Johnson.

The promising England Under-21 star would represent a far more productive target given the impressive performances he has put in for Boro, both before and after their relegation from the Premier League.

Gordon Strachan's initial reaction to an offer believed to be around £5million was to say Johnson is going nowhere.

However, if City get somewhere near the £6.5million, plus 15% of any sell-on fee, Chelsea were ordered to pay them for Daniel Sturridge by a Professional Football Compensation Committee earlier this month, Johnson may have his apparent wish to leave granted.

The work will continue behind the scenes, leaving Mancini to raise spirits following yesterday's injury-time Carling Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United.

Mancini might have been putting a rather attractive gloss on the situation by claiming that "apart from a 10-minute spell in the second-half" his side were in control.

However, it is a fact City got within 38 minutes of their first Wembley appearance since 1981 and 90 seconds away from taking the tie into extra-time.

Despite his short tenure, Mancini looked genuinely upset at the outcome, having been so convinced his side could overcome their neighbours.

It will never be known what the outcome would have been if Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor had not been called away to the African Nations Cup, or Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge both lost to injury.

But Mancini felt he saw enough in the players who did play, including 19-year-old rookie defender Dedryck Boyata, to feel City are agonisingly close to joining that elite group of clubs.

"Apart from 10 minutes we were at the same level," he said.

"You can lose against United and Chelsea and other games like that.

"But the important thing is that you improve from the experience.

"Small details matter and we must concentrate fully all the time.

"Everyone is down but we have to lift our heads. Things change.

"We play Portsmouth on Sunday, we are still in the FA Cup and I feel the top four is within our grasp."