Carlos Tevez protest 'was against the press, not Sir Alex Ferguson'

Carlos Tevez's advisers have criticised Manchester United's treatment of the Argentinian but insisted that he was not embarking on a one-man protest against the club's hierarchy during Sunday's defeat of Manchester City.



Tevez ran in front of the dug-out after scoring United's second goal before positioning himself in front of the South Stand at Old Trafford and looking up to where the chief executive, David Gill, and his fellow directors were seated. He then cupped his ears in what was perceived to be a calculated show of displeasure about the way United have prevaricated about turning his two-year loan arrangement into a £32m long-term deal.

Sir Alex Ferguson later had to contend with Cristiano ­Ronaldo reacting petulantly to being substituted but Tevez explained to him that he simply ran to the wrong part of the ground and was actually responding to a newspaper article last week that questioned whether he was worth the projected transfer fee.

"He wasn't [protesting about United]," said Kia Joorabchian, the man responsible for finding Tevez a new club. "Before the game he said: 'Someone told me there was an article in the newspaper about me last week' and I said, 'Yes, there was and they were saying you were not a prolific goal­scorer.' So he said: 'I want to know where the pressbox is because I want to go and show them my ears if they wrote that."

Tevez had gone public with his grievances at the weekend in a carefully orchestrated interview with the News of the World in which he accused United of not treating him like "one of the family" and said he had no option but to leave.

"He pretty much feels that there is a very big chance that his time [United] has come to an end," said Joorabchian. "He has loved his time there. The glory and the time he has had at Manchester United have been special to him but he also ­realises they have not offered him a contract or wanted to sign him up and that means he has to move on."

A host of Europe's top clubs, led by Internazionale, have already expressed an interest, but Tevez is open-minded about staying in England, with Manchester City one possibility. Sources close to Tevez have said that his "tribal" nature makes him reluctant to consider a move to Liverpool but he does not believe joining City would be considered such an act of betrayal by the United fans who have repeatedly implored Ferguson to "sign him up".

The Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez's need to find a striker to complement Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard have encouraged reports of a move for Tevez. Benítez, however, has declined the chance to sign Tevez in the past and is known to harbour reservations over both his price-tag and temperament.

Adrian Ruocco, another of the player's representatives, told the Argentinian newspaper Ole: "There has been no will from the [United] directors and the coach [for Tevez] to sign a new contract so, on 31 May, he will have no club and no contract. I don't know why. The directors and the coach do not seem to want him while, on the other hand, the fans love him.

"He might move to Spain, Italy or stay in England. There are interested clubs from all those countries. He has already said he would like to stay in the Premier League because he likes football in the country."

In the meantime, Joorabchian insisted that his client would not allow the uncertainty to have a negative impact on his performances. "There's a lot of interest in Carlos but he has always been focused on finishing this season on a high. He will make sure he is at the highest level when picked. He will let the season finish and then sit down and evaluate the situation. He wants to go to a club that has a real ambition and focus.

"I don't want to say it's going to be Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham – whoever you can pick out – Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus. The key is that at the present moment Carlos is a United player and he's focused on being a United player for the rest of the season."