‘That got me’… Gary Neville says he was so annoyed about one signing Man City made in 2009

Redaction Simon Brett with Srinivas Sadhanand
Published on 2024-03-13 12:30:00

Gary Neville, a devout Manchester United fan, recently disclosed that the transfer that had the most impact on him was when Carlos Tevez made the move to Manchester City.

This move, which occurred in 2009, was a rare occurrence in football where a player chose to sign with a direct rival team.

Tevez, who was on a two-year loan with United, decided to join City, much to the disbelief of Neville and other United supporters.

This decision was reminiscent of other high-profile transfers in football history, such as Luis Figo’s move from Barcelona to Real Madrid and Sol Campbell’s switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal.

Neville and Tevez were part of the same United squad that achieved a double in the 2007/2008 season. However, the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov in the subsequent campaign reduced Tevez’s playing time, prompting him to seek opportunities elsewhere. This led to his decision to sign for Manchester City under Mark Hughes.

Reflecting on Tevez’s departure, Neville expressed his disappointment on a recent podcast, recalling the special dynamic of United’s front three with Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney.

“The one for me for United, to be fair was [Carlos] Tevez that got me the most”, he said on The Overlap.

“He was with us for a year and a half, wasn’t he? I know it was a loan but it was a weird, ownership thing then, I think, I don’t know. But for us, he was a United player and I just thought that that front three of [Cristiano] Ronaldo, Tevez, [Wayne] Rooney was special. It was unreal. It was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And I just thought, if you played for United, you didn’t go directly to City.”

“It was almost like if you were playing for United that was winning things…”

Gary Neville went on to praise Manchester City hero Carlos Tevez, saying, “That’s what I’m saying, he hates United and to be fair, I had that thing with him [in the Carabao Cup in the 2009/2010 season] but do you know something, he was a great lad at United and he was an unbelievable fighter.”

“Towards the end, he became a little bit disillusioned because he started to get left out and stuff but I just thought, to me, ‘That wasn’t right, that one.’

The former United chief David Gill revealed that the club had attempted to secure Tevez permanently, but his representatives negotiated a better deal with City.

Carlos Tevez’s decision to join Manchester City ultimately proved successful as he went on to win domestic titles and establish himself as a key player. His achievements at City highlighted his talent and solidified his legacy as a top player in English football.

Read Original article on Manchester City News