When Carlos Tevez allegedly refused to come off the Manchester City bench during late September’s Champions League match at Bayern Munich, it was to the clear ire of his manager Roberto Mancini. Whilst the Press followed suit in labelling him a disgrace, perhaps most significantly came the condemnation of his actions from his former managers Alan Pardew and Sir Alex Ferguson. However, where Ferguson was expectedly forthright in his support of Mancini, Pardew left the comment: “He is absolutely a footballer I would be happy to manage again. He is a top, top player.”

Pardew spent a short 2006-07 campaign with Tevez at West Ham United, and although he left before the Argentine really hit form, it reflects the impression the player has left on him, as he did on the London club. Eleven points adrift of safety with 10 games of the season to go, Tevez’ run of seven goals and four assists directly earned the Hammers nine of the 21 points they achieved in an incredible run. In fact Tevez’ cleverly-taken winner at Old Trafford on the final day of the season was exactly the difference between Premier League and Championship football for his team.

Tevez went on to win a League and European Cup double with Manchester United the next season before a move in 2009 to Manchester City yielded 52 goals in just two campaigns.

For the positive work though, there has been the negative character. When at Upton Park under Alan Curbishley, Tevez criticised Pardew for his ‘mute’ approach to managing him, then within two weeks of West Ham surviving relegation, reports from ‘insiders’ at the club spoke of Tevez’ fury at the way Curbishley had treated him in training. This was in relation to the manager’s reported hesitation over where Tevez’ best position was and then about apparent ‘indifferent’ treatment in training.

Then, for Tevez’ good work at Manchester United – ironically in a tactically flexible front three that had no defined position for him – he is equally remembered for his second year at Old Trafford. That saw the club, according to Ferguson, struggle to reach an agreement for his permanent signature, before the manager’s belief that he’d lose Tevez saw him subsequently bench the player as the season came to an end.

Before completing his move to City that summer, Tevez again suggested his departure was down to his manager’s treatment towards him. “I know what I want and I know that Ferguson did not respect me as a player. Before [Dimitar] Berbatov arrived in Manchester, Ferguson told me: 'You will still be the starting striker, so be cool'. But he lied to me! That is why I know I will not return to United. What I want to do next season is score against United. I promise I will not celebrate in front of the United fans, but I will shout in Ferguson's face.” Incidentally he did score and did celebrate.

Now taking into account what his agent Kia Joorabchian has described as ‘a personal relationship between’ Tevez and Mancini at City, there are perhaps fewer examples of footballers who can list as many unfavourable, consecutive working relationships with their managers than Carlos Tevez. Only when leaving first club Boca Juniors did Tevez cite a different reason for moving – Press intrusion – whilst dating back to his decision to strike at Corinthians in 2006, the only thing more consistent than his goals has been his uneasy relationship with authority.

All of this is why Manchester City are eager to secure a permanent sale of the player and why Milan are determined to negotiate on their terms. The Rossoneri are pushing for a cheap six-month loan thought as low as €2m, a cut-price final fee of €20m – half his summer valuation – and can only guarantee the player a two-and-a-half year contract. In short, the risk to signing Tevez and then enjoying Tevez is fully realised at San Siro. It is otherwise remarkable that for 93 goals in European football and still in the prime of his career at 27, the Argentine international cannot command a greater commitment from Milan.

However, the club are still committing to the player. Perhaps because the change in culture that Italian football offers Tevez may lower the risk to signing him, as indeed might working with Massimiliano Allegri, a Coach with a growing reputation for successfully supervising otherwise difficult characters in the Milan dressing room.

Maybe though it is simply because the risk to work with Tevez, despite all that has come before, is worth it since, as Pardew says, he is just a top, top player.

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