Ferguson: Tevez will start
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Carlos Tevez will
start against Portsmouth on Wednesday.
The champions stalled on the grid on Sunday by failing to beat
Reading on home soil, an outcome accompanied by the awful news that
Wayne Rooney had fractured his foot in an accidental collision with
Michael Duberry, and will be out for two months.
"Carlos will start on Wednesday," revealed Ferguson. "Ideally, I
would have preferred to wait for the Manchester City game on Sunday
- which would have given him a few more days' training. But for the
forthcoming few weeks, he will fill the position Wayne would have
occupied."
absolutely brilliant
Although Tevez was confirmed as a United player only on Friday, he
has been training with the Red Devils for almost a fortnight.
Ferguson accepts the Argentina international may be slightly rusty,
having not played a game since his country reached the final of the
Copa America four weeks ago. However, the United boss has seen
enough in training to feel Tevez can make a positive contribution
at Fratton Park.
"There is no doubt in my mind Carlos was the major reason why West
Ham stayed up last season," said Ferguson. "His performances in the
Premier League last season is the foundation on which our opinion
of him is based.
"But sometimes you get more of a feel from training, and he has
been absolutely brilliant. I have been very impressed, not just by
his aptitude for work but the receptive manner in which he has
approached the sessions."
