Source: Daily_Mail
Martin Samuel: Just come in No 32... the price is too high for United's Tevez
Carlos Tevez wears his shirt like a big, red price tag: 32 it sayson his back, the amount in millions it will cost Manchester United topurchase him when his loan arrangement ends this season.[LNB]It is a fee that would appear to be too rich, even for a club ofUnited's wealth, meaning Tevez is for sale. Certainly last night, heplayed like a man open to offers.[LNB] Sure sign: United fans show their support for Carlos Tevez[LNB] Man Utd 1 Arsenal 0: O'Shea hits a bullseye but Almunia keeps cagey Arsenal in race to finalIt's not enough, Fergie: You'll pay for misses - WengerSir Alex Ferguson does not do sentiment, so one can safely presume that he did not give Tevez his first Champions League start of this year to placate him over a lack of first-team opportunities in the biggest games.[LNB]Tevez was scowling when he was substituted after 67 minutes but in the time remaining his replacement Dimitar Berbatov demonstrated why Ferguson has a decision to make.[LNB]As wholehearted and tenacious as Tevez is, so Berbatov is all subtle efficiency. It is easy to see why the work ethic of one appeals and the demeanour of the other does not, but Ferguson must consider more than appearances.[LNB]Tevez plays hard, but Berbatov is more effective. The fee that United will not pay for Tevez is roughly what Ferguson pulled up for Berbatov without a second thought. That is not to say Tevez failed to impress when at last given the opportunity to lead the line, more that he failed to capitalise on the moment.[LNB]He should have put United ahead after 16 minutes when set up perfectly by John O'Shea, but was kept out by Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper.[LNB]He was not alone in that - Almunia kept the tie alive with the performance of his life - but for �32million, one expects a striker to define a game. The suspicion is that Berbatov might have done just that.[LNB]Glenn Hoddle, analysing the match on television, said that Manchester United 'took Arsenal to the sword'. His capacity for malapropism has not changed but, in a way, he was right.[LNB] Committed: Carlos Tevez collides with Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia[LNB]United did not put Arsenal to the sword, so much as take them to it, show it to them, then shy away from using it. Ferguson said he would be happy with a 1-0 victory before the game, but he was probably revising that opinion with hindsight.[LNB]Arsenal are still in with a shout and, after a performance as disappointing as this, should not be.[LNB]Manchester United's absence of a cutting edge last night reflected the issue with Tevez. His work rate is exceptional, yet his great strength is his build-up play.[LNB]When United were at their best, in the first half, Tevez was extraordinarily busy, yet he is not a player fancied to score.[LNB]At West Ham United he was a vital influence, but he is loved at Old Trafford not as the star, but for his generous supporting role. And �32m is an awful lot of money to pay for a player who is not the marquee name. It is not even as if United will enjoy the fillip that a club usually receive for such an outlay.[LNB]Pay big money for a striker and the team spirit lifts; but Tevez is already here.[LNB]Ferguson is a fan of Tevez but he has a more realistic idea of his worth, nearer the �20m mark. Still a lot to pay for a squad player, but United have done it before, buying Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, two players who would appear to be mutually exclusive, for a little under that figure.[LNB]Tevez, though, is owned by Kia Joorabchian and while negotiations are continuing, with the asking price open to discussion, he remains an asset to be sold for the best price.[LNB] Close call: Carlos Tevez is denied by Almunia[LNB]Left to make a purely football decision, the player would probably be talked around by Ferguson, who can be very persuasive, as Ronaldo discovered. These days, it is not so straightforward. Tevez will listen to his owner, his mentor - and that advice is unlikely to favour a cutprice deal. Tevez could end up unhappy at United, as Ashley Cole was at Arsenal.[LNB]This would be a shame, as he is undoubtedly suited to English football. Some foreign players are. Take Almunia, the hero of the night for Arsenal.[LNB]He was nobody in Spain, invisible when the national team was selected, yet Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, saw talent within. Through this faith has come confidence and, ultimately, a performance that kept Manchester United at bay and Arsenal still in with a puncher's chance of European glory.[LNB]The debate about his worthiness for England will be reignited by this game - he qualifies for his adopted country next year - and although Fabio Capello continues to show no interest in acquiring his services, Almunia has found a comfortable home in England.[LNB]Tevez is made for Premier League football, too. Part of his appeal is that he is a South American striker with the lung capacity of the classic English grafter. If Berbatov employs the demeanour of the dilettante, barely moving beyond a canter unless necessary, Tevez tears all over the field like a local academy kid let loose on his debut.[LNB]It is easy to see why Old Trafford loves him, just as Upton Park did. Yet his strength is also his weakness; the greats conserve energy, while Tevez expends it. As the game wore on he grew less influential as tiredness took hold. Perhaps this is why he does not have Berbatov's scoring rate.[LNB]It could also be the reason Ferguson is preparing to break the habit of a lifetime by losing a valued player to a serious rival (David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy do not count, as Ferguson had tired of both when they departed for Real Madrid).[LNB]Nobody doubts that Tevez's employers receive a good day's work; they may feel, however, that Tevez's owners are demanding a little more than a good day's pay. [LNB] [LNB]
