Carlos Tevez has spoken out to reveal that his Manchester United
exit, confirmed today, was inevitable as soon as Dimitar Berbatov
was signed from Tottenham Hotspur last September.
"I did not feel supported after they [United] signed Berbatov
because I was the man for the job he was bought to do," The
Daily Telegraph reports him as saying.
"[United manager Alex] Ferguson told me not to be worried about
Berbatov's arrival, but I did not like it when he started to put me
on the bench often. I gave my life for the Manchester United
shirt.
"Last year, I was the second top-scorer after Cristiano
[Ronaldo]. We won two titles [the Premier League and the Carling
Cup] and being shut out like this was something that I could not
understand.
"When I arrived I had to fight for a place like any other
player. My first season was good. I was a starter or a substitute,
but I respected that.
"But in my second year, after the match against Liverpool [on
September 13], the coach started to overlook me."
Tevez is reported by The Telegraph as being ready to
join Manchester City on July 1, after a protracted and complex
transfer saga, further confused by his
loan status at Old Trafford due to being 'owned'
by a company.
However, he was pleased to have enjoyed the continued support of
the United fans throughout the course of the last season,
concluding, "The fans supported me a lot so I thought that
something was going on as my performances were also good. I was a
professional."