Carlos Tevez’s explanation for quitting Man Utd for Man City with Paul Pogba repeat on

Manchester United could be heading for a repeat of when Carlos Tevez quit the club for Manchester City in 2009. This time around, it’s Paul Pogba who may be about to do the unthinkable by moving to the Etihad Stadium. So, with that being the case, it’s time to wind the clock back and take a trip down memory lane.

In 2009, United were one of the best teams on the planet.

Though they missed out on the Champions League trophy to Barcelona, losing 2-0 in the final in Rome, the Red Devils still ended the season with the Premier League, EFL Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield trophies in their collection.

Tevez had been an integral part of their success under Sir Alex Ferguson after touching down from West Ham back in the summer transfer window of 2007.

But he was only on loan with the Red Devils in a complicated arrangement that also included his agent, Kia Joorabchian, also having a stake in the Argentina international.

Tevez then rocked United by choosing to leave for City, having fallen behind Dimitar Berbatov in Ferguson’s pecking order.

And, in 2016, he explained his controversial decision by saying: “With Ferguson nothing bad happened, it was a normal relationship.

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“I went to United for two years on loan, and in the final year Ferguson told me that they were going to buy me permanently.

“We got to the Champions league final in Rome and I didn’t have any contract on the table, even though they’d spent the whole year telling me that.

“So I went to City and they complained about it but I never had the option of signing for United so I was free.”

Tevez would go on to become a hero at City, helping them win the Premier League title in 2013.

And Pogba may now be the next to cross the divide.

Widespread reports have suggested City are keen on landing the United star on a free transfer, even if Erling Haaland is currently their priority.

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And United can now be forgiven for fearing a repeat.

While Tevez wasn’t always consistent at United, his performances on the field did warrant a contract with the club.

And his departure was particularly painful given Cristiano Ronaldo quit for Real Madrid in the same summer.

Regarding Tevez, meanwhile, Gary Neville said in 2020 that the striker ‘downed tools’ before moving to City.

“What annoyed me about Tevez was that he downed tools in his second season,” said the Sky Sports pundit.

“He started sitting on the treatment table, started coming out late for training, started messing around.

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“He was playing the club and I couldn’t stand that, particularly being how I was at the time, which was a ferocious Manchester United person who never thought of anything else in my life.

“I understood that he had circumstances, but his people were in his ear all the time and he was so led by his people.

“It was always going to come to an end like it did.

“I felt disappointed that, as a professional, he didn’t act the right way.

“The problem that I had with Tevez wasn’t that he went to play for Manchester City. That wasn’t the main issue for me.

“It was the way it played out in those last few months. I didn’t like it.”

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And Neville also added: “Let’s be clear here, Tevez, for a year, with Ronaldo and Rooney, was just breathtaking.

“It was out of this world, not just because of the quality of the players, but because there was a real selfish, horrible, nasty determination to those three.

“Ronaldo in a different way on the pitch, in the sense that he wouldn’t go around kicking people, hassling people and hustling.

“He was just immense in terms of his performance levels.

“But Rooney and Tevez were street fighters, with unbelievable ability. We talk about the best front threes in the Premier League – you’ll never beat those three for me.”