Argentine striker Carlos Tevez completed his move to Manchester United on Friday, the Premier League champions said.
”Manchester United is delighted to announce that Carlos Tevez has been registered as a member of its first-team squad by the Premier League,” United said in a statement.
A Premier League spokesperson confirmed the registration.
Last week West Ham released Tevez’s registration following a deal with his agent, Kia Joorabchian, who reached a £2-million settlement with the London club to end a long transfer saga that centred on who owned the striker.
Tevez (23) is available for Sunday’s league season-opener against Reading but manager Alex Ferguson said he would more likely to feature against Manchester City on August 19.
Tevez, who scored the winner for West Ham at Old Trafford on the final day of last season, has already impressed Ferguson in training.
”Carlos surprised us in the training sessions last week,” he said. ”After the Copa America, and with only a short holiday, I thought he might need more training. But he did very well and looked in great shape.”
”He’s likely to be involved the following week against Manchester City. But it’s difficult to assess what part he’ll play because if you put somebody into a derby game, you have to make sure they’re spot on.
”It’s not a game in which you get time. It’s always frenetic against your local rivals.”
Tevez’s contract with West Ham had long been a source of controversy.
The east London club avoided a points deduction but were fined £5,5-million in April for breaking Premier League rules that outlaw third-party ownership when they signed Tevez last August.
They were only allowed to continue playing him after satisfying the Premier League that the third-party agreement with Joorabchian had been torn up. — Reuters