Robinho reportedly told a radio station that he was set to join Santos, ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Mancini said: “Hopefully in the end Robinho will stay here. In the next day the situation can change but at the moment he stays here and I am very happy for him.
“I hope he will stay here but it is important he will stay here happy and enjoy it. He is a very good player. I think he is enjoying Manchester.
“I think one player can stay in a squad only if he is happy – if he wants to play every game and if he wants to work every day. That is most important because the players and manager must be happy.”
Mancini added: “I have five or six strikers and I must decide every game between them. It’s impossible to play with four strikers. Robinho didn’t play against Manchester United but he played today.”
