Carlos Tevez wanted Wayne Rooney to join him at Manchester City
Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez has said he wished former teammate Wayne Rooney had left Manchester United to join him at the city's other Premier League club.
Tevez played for United between 2007 and 2009, scoring 19 league goals in 63 appearances and earning praise from the club's fans for his exceptional work rate off the ball.
But by the time Tevez' contract was up for renewal, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson opted not to keep the Argentine, prompting him to switch to City following a lucrative offer from United's rivals.
After scoring 30 goals in 45 league appearances for City since the start of last season and earning the captain's armband this summer, Tevez said he was hopeful that the speculation that placed Rooney at City (following the United striker's stated intention
to leave Old Trafford) would hold true.
"Wayne is a player of great quality," Tevez told the press ahead of the teams' derby clash on Wednesday, 10 November. "He was a team-mate and a friend of mine at United and he's one of those men that is better to have on your team than against you. For me
he is the best English striker of recent years. I would have liked him to come here, of course."
Accepted criticism for move
The striker, who will have been missed at United given Dimitar Berbatov's inconsistency and Rooney's dip in form this season, added that some would inevitably criticize his decision to leave United.
"I made the change and so far I'm not sorry. As players we are professionals and we have to make decisions that are right for us. But I also realise many people may not have understood my decision. All I can do is concentrate on my game and play well for
City. And at the minute it is going well for me."
Tevez is expected to start for City in Wednesday's derby after spending time in Argentina to recover from a thigh injury.
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