Mancini met Juve officials at Craven Cottage - Exclusive

Roberto Mancini saw one door open at Craven Cottage on Thursday night.

He heads back to Fulham today knowing a defeat for his Manchester City team could lead to another one closing.

Mancini’s brief when Roy Hodgson’s men took on Juventus in the Europa Cup was to cast his expert eye over City’s next opponents in his quest to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football.

What he witnessed was the greatest night in Fulham’s history and a 4-1 defeat for Juve described as the lowest point in the “Old Lady’s” 113-year existence.

Mancini mixed with the Juventus hierarchy by the banks of the Thames, men like Roberto Bettega, the club’s former striker who in his current role as director-general will be key to deciding who succeeds Alberto Zaccheroni as coach at the end of the season.

Fiorentina’s Cesare ­Prandelli is the favourite to move to the Stadio Olimpico, although the Viola have offered him a five-year contract in a bid to kill off interest from Juventus and the Italian FA. But Mancini is next in line.

And after already succeeding Zaccheroni at Lazio and Inter Milan, the challenge of bringing the glory days back to the biggest club in Italy may prove to tempting.

A source close to Mancini said: “It would be hard for Roberto to turn down the Juventus job.

“It is seen as the biggest job in Italian football – the equivalent of being asked to manage Manchester United in England or Real Madrid in Spain.”

Mancini won three successive Serie A titles with Inter, becoming the club’s most successful coach in the past three decades.

It is a record that has won him friends and influenced people at Juventus.

When the 45-year-old former Italy international arrived at Eastlands in December to replace Mark Hughes he was charged with the task of guiding the richest club in the world into the Champions League.

City remain well placed in an intriguing battle for fourth place. Mancini’s three-and-a-half-year contract includes an option that will allow both parties to review the situation at the end of the season.

The Italian’s first three months in England have not been trouble-free, despite a win over rivals United and a 4-2 thrashing of Chelsea.

There have been defeats at Hull and Everton, in the FA Cup at Stoke, and a Carling Cup semi-final loss at Old Trafford that rendered the first-leg victory over United as worthless. Some of City’s players are said to be disgruntled with Mancini’s training regime, although Gareth Barry insisted: “You get the odd story about things not being well, but I can tell you first hand that every player is giving 100 per cent.”

Mancini is looking for the kind of £200million player investment that City’s Abu Dhabi owners lavished on Hughes so that he can bring in his own men – regardless of whether the Blues finish in the top four. Inter duo Mario Balotelli (left) and ­Maicon, Daniele de Rossi of Roma and Real Madrid’s free-scoring Gonzalo ­Higuain top his wish-list.

Mancini has been slow in recognising the cultural ­differences between the Premier League and Serie A.

The improvement in City’s defensive organisation has been marked, but at times he has been too cautious with his use of some of the most potent attacking talent in the country.