Fergie not interested getting involved in Tevez-Neville spat

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GARY Neville has lit the fuse for tonight’s Manchester derby by claiming Sir Alex Ferguson was right not to be held to ransom by Carlos Tevez.

And United captain Neville remains to be convinced of City’s title aspirations, saying: “Let’s look at the table in March.” Tevez has scored 15 goals for City this season after rejecting United’s offer of a permanent deal following two years on loan.

City fans – and many United followers – now believe he was worth the £25million transfer fee but Neville has backed his manager, who has since claimed Tevez did not justify such an outlay, nor wages reputed to be £150,000-a-week, which would have made him the club’s top earner. “I can’t disagree with his decision on Tevez.” said Neville. “He was a good player for us, but if the financial demands are too big then that’s just the way it goes."

“Other good players have left this club in the past; it’s not the first time it has happened. Over the years the manager has made many decisions with regard to players coming and going, and he has almost always been proved correct."

“Over a period of 20 years he may have got one or two wrong, and he has admitted that himself, but he knows when a player’s time is up.” Neville had a further dig about City’s title hopes after Nigel de Jong, above, and Patrick Vieira said they could win it. He added: “ When push comes to shove, Arsenal, Chelsea, ourselves and Liverpool will come to the fore and finish strongly.”

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Gary Neville could find himself in hot water with the FA after he appeared to direct a middle-finger gesture towards Carlos Tevez as the Manchester City striker celebrated the first of two goals in his side's 2-1 Carling Cup triumph over Manchester United.

Tevez made a point of celebrating his emphatic 42nd-minute penalty by running towards the United bench while making a speaking motion with his hand.

Tevez was perhaps suggesting that he was doing his talking on the pitch rather than in the press as Neville had done in the lead up to the match, or maybe just telling his former team-mate to shut his mouth.

Neville, warming up as a substitute, responded with a rude salute that could potentially bring disciplinary punishment from the FA given the warning he received over his provocative celebration in United's derby win in the Premier League in September.

Tevez followed his match-winning second goal with another sprint towards the United bench, this time with hands cupped behind ears. Neville had publicly backed United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's decision not to sign Tevez before the first leg tie at Eastlands, perhaps helping to spark Tevez to a shining performance only matched by the heroics of City goalkeeper Shay Given.

"I don't know about this situation," said City boss Roberto Mancini. "I only hope that he plays the same way in the second game because he played a big game tonight. I am very happy for Carlos. He is an ex-Manchester United player so this game was very important for him. To score two goals was excellent."

Another incident that may warrant further investigation came when United defender Patrice Evra appeared to be hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd as he collected the ball off the pitch.

sand king SG

Up yours tevez!

iceFatboy SG

i think Gary is immune to all that la..

i hate to see both of them on the field @ OT during the return leg.. explosive.

Rooney9 SG

• Players argue with each other all the time, says Ferguson
• Manager says he did not see Neville's one-fingered gesture

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he did not see Gary Neville's response to Carlos Tevez's goal celebration. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is not interested in getting involved in the spat between Carlos Tevez and Gary Neville. The former Manchester United team-mates clashed at Eastlands on Tuesday as Tevez celebrated his equalising goal in City's 2-1 Carling Cup win.

Although he has never been scared of courting controversy, the United manager has this time opted to give the whole row a wide berth. "I am not interested," he said. "Carlos Tevez is not our player anymore and I have nothing to say about it at all.

"Players argue with each other all the time. They have a go at each other time and time again. It is not an issue for us. We move on."

Ferguson also declined to offer an opinion on Neville's behaviour, which, it has now been confirmed, will not attract any action from the Football Association, claiming he had not seen what happened. "I am not disappointed with Gary's conduct," he said, "and I didn't see his gesture."

Tevez initially made a "shut it" gesture in response to pre-match comments from Neville that the Argentinian was not worth the money it would have cost United to keep him at Old Trafford last summer.

Neville responded with a one-fingered gesture of his own, which prompted further reaction from Tevez, who followed up by winning the game with a second-half header and then aimed fierce criticism at the United captain.

In a wide-ranging attack, Tevez labelled Neville "a moron" and "a boot-licker", which has only served to add further spice to next Wednesday's semi-final second leg at Old Trafford.

Ferguson also called on his players to hit the accelerator as the Premier League campaign enters another crucial phase. "You have to win your games now," he said. "Top of the league is the best place to be. Our game is the only one in Premier League tomorrow so it is an opportunity for us. There are some massive games coming up, so these are interesting times now."

Pitot SG

up ur ass turn right tevez!