Former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez claims Sir Alex Ferguson broke a promise before his controversial departure for arch-rivals Manchester City — a dispute that left him furious with former team-mate Gary Neville and made him “want to kill” the defender.
Tevez made the headline-grabbing move in 2009 after spending two seasons at United on loan. He later won the Premier League for a third time with City and famously held up a banner reading “RIP Fergie” during their 2012 title celebrations.
The Argentine subsequently attempted to explain his actions, but has now suggested that a broken commitment from Ferguson was the main reason he ultimately left United.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents channel, Tevez said: ‘They spoke to me (before) the two-year loan. After, if you play well, (we) pay the contract after one year.
‘Fergie told me, “Carlos, now I’m going to pay out your contract and you’re going to stay in Manchester”. The team went to a pre-season. I remember this conversation with Fergie. He said “I’m going to pay for Berbatov but you, don’t worry, I’m going to buy you and we’ll do your contract.’
However, that promise was never fulfilled. United declined to pay the fee required to make Tevez’s move permanent, leaving him at the club for another season before he departed for City.
Carlos Tevez (left) says a broken promise from Sir Alex Ferguson (right) contributed to his Manchester United exit
The Argentine famously held up a banner reading “RIP Fergie” after Manchester City won the title
Tevez’s move to City also sparked a bitter dispute with former United team-mate Gary Neville
‘For me, the people understand,’ Tevez said of United supporters, who have remained divided over his departure. ‘They don’t understand about Fergie speaking to me, or behind the scenes. What happened between Fergie and me, I think people don’t understand that.’
He added: ‘I think that Ferguson had, from the day we talked, up to six months to keep his word. And he didn’t. On the contrary, he started leaving me on the bench. In my head, he started pushing me aside so he could bring down what I was worth. And that’s what hurt me the most.’
Tevez’s decision to cross Manchester and join City, who were still regarded as the less successful club at the time, caused significant resentment at United. He recalled that Neville was particularly outspoken about the transfer.
‘We went to play against you – you wanted to kill Gary Neville?’ Ferdinand recalled, prompting Tevez to agree that he had ‘wanted to fight’.
DISCOVER MORE: ‘Israeli Predator hackers’ cripple Iran as 23,000 petrol stations are knocked out of service in revenge attack – NewsFinale
Rafael was another player who felt Tevez’s anger during that first season, although the former striker said the Brazilian was simply ‘aggressive (and) young’.
‘But it is on the pitch,’ he stressed. ‘Gary Neville, in the press.’
Ferdinand said he could see the anger in Tevez’s eyes after the Argentine felt Neville had been speaking too much about his former team-mate’s departure.
‘Gary, he said that I didn’t respect Ferguson,’ Tevez added. ‘He didn’t understand me. He didn’t understand the situation.’
Ferdinand also reflected on the lasting hostility surrounding the transfer, saying the episode had ‘killed’ Manchester United.
Tevez left United for arch-rivals Manchester City in 2009 and went on to win another league title
While the club would go on to win the Premier League title at the end of the 2012-13 season, they have not won the league since.
But it seems Tevez, who is now a manager and was most recently in charge of Talleres in his native Argentina, still has a soft spot for the Red Devils, despite all that went on after his departure.
‘For me it was hard, Rio,’ he added. ‘It was hard because I felt like I’d given my heart to United. And I didn’t feel the same.
‘I didn’t feel the same because, if you remember, we won the Champions League. We won the league and, and then, to bring down my price, they brought in a player and I carried on the same way for the first months. The second months, let’s say, of the second year. But by the second, the second month, I didn’t want to know any more.’
He added: ‘I had a great time at United. The other team, City, for me, was like a revenge. I didn’t get back what I gave.’
READ MORE: Man United fans see their owners for what they are. They see their greed and acquisitiveness. Man City fans are still in denial about theirs: OLIVER HOLT
Head to the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel to watch the full interview, available from 8.00 UK time on Thursday 29th October