Source: Daily_Mail
I'm not worried one bit that Tevez has joined our rivals, says United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has cranked up the pressure on Carlos Tevez ahead of the Manchester derby by claiming he was not bothered when the Argentina striker exited Old Trafford at the end of last season. [LNB]'I am not in the slightest bit worried about him leaving,' said the United manager. 'You can't keep all your players all the time. I think he was a good player, yeah. He didn't think he played enough football last year, but I think he had plenty.'[LNB]Ferguson has already warned Tevez he will get a hostile welcome from United fans and last night further turned the screw by claiming the 25-year-old was a stooge of his agent - and suggesting that was a trait among Argentine players.[LNB] Face-off: Ferguson has been cranking up the pressure on former player, Tevez, ahead of the Manchester derby[LNB] United offered to turn Tevez's loan spell into a permanent move but had a £24.5million offer turned down by the South American and his representative Kia Joorabchian. Asked about Tevez's acrimonious departure from Old Trafford and how it comparedwith the way another Argentinian, Gabriel Heinze, left United,[LNB]Ferguson said: 'I always felt these players were well dominated by their agents. I thought their agents had a big say in their lives.[LNB] [LNB]'Gabriel Heinze was incredible. He was only here for a year and he asked away. His agent came to see me the night before we played Villarreal. You have to understand the culture of these people, these agents.'[LNB]Ferguson also pointed the finger at Argentine players specifically by adding: 'We're very happy with the Brazilian players. They're very good.'[LNB] [LNB]Who will have the last laugh: City have had good fun at United's expense over the Tevez affair[LNB] Tevez missed Manchester City's win against Arsenal last weekend but City are hopeful he will have recovered from his knee injury to face United this afternoon.[LNB]Manager Mark Hughes has backed the striker to keep his head on his Old Trafford return, despite the provocative comments from Ferguson.[LNB]'If he's fit, he will be involved,' said Hughes. 'He is obviously very keen to play. I don't have any concerns about how he'll react [to playing United].'[LNB]All eyes will be on Tevez's behaviour after Emmanuel Adebayor lost his head last week against former club Arsenal. The Togo striker has already been given a three-match ban for stamping on former team-mate Robin van Persie and may be punished further for celebrating his goal provocatively after a 90-yard dash in front of the Arsenal fans.[LNB]Hughes added: 'It's a little bit different in terms of Manu's relationship with the Arsenal fans, in comparison to Carlos with United fans. He's got a great deal of affection for them and he's thankful he was allowed to play on that stage. But in the end the decision was made that he had to leave and we're grateful for that.'[LNB]Hughes is desperate to get Tevez involved, with three key forwards - Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Robinho - all ruled out.[LNB]City's summer spending spree was in stark contrast to United's meagre outlay, when Ferguson banked most of the £80m received for Cristiano Ronaldo. Butthe United boss claims the decision not to spend was down to him, not the board.[LNB]'I could have bought somebody at £52m if I thought he was worth it. I didn't thinkhe was worth it.[LNB]'I think it was a bad time to buy in the summer, because of the sale of Ronaldo, you could see the trend [for high prices]. It was running against the grain with the financial climate in the world.'[LNB] Irreplaceable: Mark Hughes has said United have not been as strong since Ronaldo departed[LNB] Rio Ferdinand is confident the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez will be no deterrent to United winning their fourth successive title this season. A troublesome groin injury forced the United central defender to hold a watching brief at the team's earlyseasonmatches - and he is delighted at what he has seen.[LNB]'I know there's been a lot of talk saying we're not doing this or that and that we're not the same without certain players, but you can't argue against our results in recentmatches,' said Ferdinand.[LNB]The defender made a belated return with an impressive performance in last week's win at Tottenham and, having sat out the Champions League victory at Besiktas on [LNB]Hungry: Rio Ferdinand says his appetite for trophies is as great as ever[LNB] Tuesday, he is now set to play in the eagerly awaited derby when something has to give, his own 100 per cent success record this season or that of opponents City.[LNB]'It's a massive game for us,' he said. 'You always want to be involved in a game like this. The lads can't wait for the match. The dressing-room spirit couldn't be higher. There has always been a keen rivalry between us, but obviously there's more riding on this game because of all the money City have spent and we're the champions.[LNB]'I was really pleased with the way I played at Spurs. Our aim is to win matches and trophies, and our appetite for that could not be stronger. We want to play well as a team and make sure our consistency is there.'[LNB]For derby debutant Ben Foster, the game represents another opportunity to prove he is good enough to keep Edwin van der Sar out of the team, even when the veteran Holland keeper has recovered from the injury which has kept him on the sidelines this season. [LNB]At 26, Foster has to prove without doubt he can hack it at both club and international level and he knows City will provide a big test of his ability.[LNB]'It will be my first derby and I'm looking forward to it,' he said. 'City have spent a lot of money in the transfer window and have brought some very good, experienced players in. [LNB]It is going to be a tough match played in an electric atmosphere, but I believe we'll be OK.[LNB]Big chance: Foster is keen to impress Ferguson while Edwin van der Sar is sidelined[LNB] 'I think you have to experience the occasion to know what they're all about, but I'm sure I'll be able to cope. Some of the lads in the dressing room have played in dozens of these matches and they all say that everybody seems to up their game by 10 or 20 per cent. We'll just have to see on the day.[LNB]'City have started the season well and if they beat us, they would have to be considered as serious title rivals. The 4-2 scoreline against Arsenal may have flattered them, but nobody beats that team without being decent.[LNB]'We haven't really talked about all their spending. It's not a subject that comes up in the dressing room. I think maybe this season it may be a little too early for them. Time will tell, but I think it will still be the big four up there at the end of the season, and hopefully we'll be at the top.[LNB]'It takes time to gel as a team. When you get a lot of players coming in over a short space of time, it's hard to know what other players are doing in the team - what jobs they do, what are they not so good at and so on.[LNB]'At the end of the day, we have to look at our own football. We have some of the best players in the world in our changing room. Sure, we'll respect them but really we've just got to play our own game.[LNB]'I think I've been doing OK during Edwin's absence. It's always tough when you play the odd game here and there, but when you get a run in the team you settle down more.[LNB]'You know the position's yours so you can concentrate more on playing football. That's what I'm doing at the moment and I think I'm doing a good job.[LNB]'I was disappointed I didn't get into the England team. I was hoping to play a little bit. They were important games but the manager picks the team as he sees fit. Obviously, given this run in the team, I want to do well and I want to be in his plans for future squads and play some games as well.'[LNB]Ryan Giggs, 36 this month, knows more than any United player how to handle big occasions like this. [LNB]'I don't think this game will be any different to the rest,' he said. 'It will be contested in the same way. They are always tough. There will be added hype because we are both at the top of the table and the amount of money that City have spent this summer. [LNB]There has been a massive build-up to this game. You can feel it everywhere you go in the city. It's a massive game for both clubs.[LNB]'We've seen how money can buy success at clubs like Blackburn and Chelsea, so it is possible. Everyone has been following what they've been doing and I'm no different. They've bought top players and are in the market to buy more, so the whole football world is looking at the blue half of Manchester this season.'[LNB] MANCHESTER UNITED
