‘Tevez picked on Man Utd’s young players – we fought when he joined Man City’

Ex-Manchester United ace Rafael da Silva has opened up about his dealings with Carlos Tevez as he admitted he was 'never a fan' of his former team-mate.

The Brazilian spent seven years with the Premier League giants having joined them in 2008 alongside twin brother Fabio from Fluminense. The full-back won three league titles during his time at the club where he spent a year as Tevez's team-mate but it was an experience he didn't enjoy because of his disdain for the Argentine.

In an interview with Sportv, the 33-year-old said: "I'm not a fan of Tevez, not as a player. I've already had a fight with him. The game against City, he'd left United. I've never been a fan of his because Tevez liked to rubbish new players."

READ MORE:Man Utd fury as goal ruled offside after VAR tells ref to review Scott McTominay goal

READ MORE:Man Utd fans rejoice as Discovery+ error means they 'don't have to watch another defeat'

The Botafogo star claimed that Tevez – who left United to join Man City in 2009 – picked on the youngsters during his two-year tenure under Sir Alex Ferguson. "I'm not ashamed to say, I don't like him. He did a lot to young players. He treated the youngsters badly at United. He was always very respectful, but he really picked on the youngsters there, so I never liked him."

The pair came to blows in 2010 during the Manchester derby when they had to be separated by referee Chris Foy as Rafael opened up about the heated moment. He left United for City. The fight happened, I hit him," he admitted. "The referee gave a foul, I did like this to get him off, he pushed me and it started."

Is Carlos Tevez a Premier League legend? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below

While Tevez burnt his bridges with the red side of Manchester after joining their rivals, Rafael remains a much-loved figure at Old Trafford where he racked up 170 appearances for the club and won five major trophies. While he spent seven years at the club, his brother Fabio was contracted to United for six years but accumulated just 56 appearances for the Red Devils.

Following Rafael's departure in 2015, he enjoyed a five-year stint in France with Lyon, before spending a season with İstanbul Başakşehir. He joined Brazilian side Botafogo in 2021 and has played nine times for the club so far this season.

Source: Read Full Article