Tevez 'disrespected' by Man Utd transfer admits Ferdinand
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 15 Sept 2022 20:59 BST
- 3 min read
Rio Ferdinand has revealed the inner details of Carlos Tevez’s departure from Manchester United, admitting the player felt disrespected by the club’s treatment of him.
Tevez became the first player in the 21st Century to move between the Manchester sides after he joined City in 2009 following two years at Old Trafford.
United had the option to keep Tevez for £25.5 million but the club stalled on making the offer, infuriating the Argentine and allowing City to swoop in.
Speaking to William Hill, Ferdinand claimed he was initially upset at Tevez’s decision and felt the striker didn’t understand the rivalry between the two sides but ultimately ended up respecting his decision.
“The big one was when Tevez went there,” Ferdinand said. “We all knew how good he was and what a player they were getting.
“He wanted to sign the contract well before the club came to him and the kind of guy he was, he thought that was disrespectful and that’s why he didn’t sign.
"The chairman at the time, David Gill, asked me to ring him to try and get him to sign and I remember his agent telling me: ‘It doesn’t matter what money they offer him, he won’t sign.’"
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Tevez the catalyst to City’s dynasty
The signing signified City’s first major coup over their bitter rivals and culminated in Tevez helping his new side pip United to their first Premier League title in 2012.
City had also put up a billboard around the stadium 'welcoming' Tevez to Manchester, further fuelling the rivalry between the two sides.
"When I first signed for United, Manchester City were nothing," Ferdinand explained.
💬 “Tevez wanted to sign a contract ages ago but United delayed.”
💬 “In the end, he felt so disrespected he said “I don’t care what you offer me, I’m not signing!””@rioferdy5 shares the inside info on what happened when Tevez left United for City. pic.twitter.com/MMf0uEZO81— William Hill (@WilliamHill) September 15, 2022
"They weren’t even on our radar and they were never going to win anything despite them being our local rivals. They might beat us but they’re not going to win the league.
"All of a sudden they got that injection of money and they started building and then everyone realised they were here to stay."
