Mancini's desperate
FIRING BACK ... Alex Ferguson has hit out at 'desperate' Manchester City
Published:
23rd
March 2012
ALEX FERGUSON has branded Manchester City 'desperate' for recalling Carlos Tevez.
It lifted Roberto Mancini's side to within a point of Fergie's United at the top.
But the Old Trafford chief blasted: "If you're talking desperation, they were playing a player the other night who had refused to go on the pitch and the manager says he will never play again.
"He takes a five-month holiday in Argentina. What is that? Could that come under the description 'desperation'?"
Fergie was responding to criticism from City's football development executive Patrick Vieira about Paul Scholes' return.
And the United chief warned that if anybody at the Etihad wanted to start mind games with the master, then he is ready.
Ferguson added: "I've plenty of ammunition, don't worry. They can try."
Asked if he would ever welcome back a player who had gone on strike, the Scot declared: "Do I need to answer that? No, I don't need to answer that."
Ferguson had previously praised Mancini's handling of Tevez and now questions whose decision it was to have him back.
He admitted: "You never know whose decision that is. I'm really not exactly in full knowledge about what happens at City."
Ferguson defended his decision to put 37-year-old Scholes straight back into the first team after he came out of retirement.
He stated: "If it's desperation bringing back the best midfield player in Britain over the last 20 years, I think we can accept that."
Vieira had claimed recalling Scholes while letting Ravel Morrison, 19, join West Ham did not bode well for United.
He also pointed out that Fergie is struggling to keep 19-year-old Paul Pogba.
Vieira said: "For him to come back just shows a little bit of weakness in United. They had to bring a player back who was 37.
"I think it shows that, in the next few years, it will be really difficult for United to cope with other teams. With all the respect I have for Scholes, him coming back shows they don't have talent in there to replace him.
"When you see United losing young players like Ravel Morrison and maybe Paul Pogba, they should be really worried. That wouldn't have happened in the past."
But Ferguson said: "The point he makes about Ravel Morrison, losing our young players.
"We wanted to sell Ravel Morrison, let's be clear about that, for obvious reasons.
"But we want Paul Pogba to stay as we think he is going to be a fantastic Manchester United player and, hopefully, that will be the case."
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