Fergie snubs forced me to move on, insists Tevez

Carlos Tevez has accused Sir Alex Ferguson of not showing him enough love at Manchester United.

Tevez yesterday became one of the few players to cross the Manchester divide, joining City immediately after quitting United in a five-year deal worth around £170,000 a week.

Ferguson claimed Tevez had a deal in place last January and that the Argentina striker refused to return phone messages.

But Tevez says it was the United boss who snubbed him, triggering the disenchantment that made him leave. 'I felt Sir Alex Ferguson and [chief executive] David Gill did not do enough to try to keep me,' said the 25-year-old.

'I was at Manchester United for two years. I never got a call or a text message from Sir Alex Ferguson.

'The only time he spoke to me was after the Champions League final in Rome when I was going back to Argentina. I don't think this is the way to treat a player who is at a club for two years. There was no line of communication.'

Tevez was unhappy at his lack of first-team action at United so he must have supreme confidence in his own ability as City will have ten strikers in their squad if Emmanuel Adebayor joins from Arsenal for £25million.

It is estimated City have paid £25.5m to buy Tevez, gaining his registration from the investors who owned his 'economic rights'. 'To bring one of the top strikers in world football to the club is fantastic,' added City boss Mark Hughes.

Tevez will join his new team-mates on their three-match tour of South Africa when they leave today.

City open their Premier League campaign at Blackburn on August 15, while Tevez returns to Old Trafford with his new club on September 20.

No Newcastle return for Kinnear

Joe Kinnear will not return to Newcastle as the club's new manager, sources at the club said today.

A report claimed the 62-year-old has been asked to take charge at St James' Park for the second time as Mike Ashley struggles to offload the club he put up for sale days after relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship was confirmed.

However, sources at Tyneside have insisted that is not the case and efforts to secure a deal with prospective buyers, who will then appoint their own manager, are ongoing.

Fans' favourite Alan Shearer remains at the end of a telephone line just waiting for a call after making his position on the vacancy clear.

However, Ashley, who held talks with the 38-year-old before deciding to sell the club, has his hands tied with those consortia leading the race to buy him out insisting it is they who will make any appointment.

In the meantime, coach Chris Hughton is acting as caretaker for the third time in less than a year with assistance from Colin Calderwood.

Kinnear arrived on Tyneside last September in the wake of Kevin Keegan's departure, much to the astonishment of the football world, and presided over a difficult period in the club's turbulent recent history.

The Magpies won four of the 20 games for which he was in charge before he succumbed to heart problems once again hours before a 3-2 Barclays Premier League victory at West Brom.

Kinnear needed further surgery, which ruled him out for the rest of the season, and Newcastle won just once more in their final 13 league fixtures, the last eight of them under Shearer.

Despite today's denial, there is a growing realisation within the Tyneside hierarchy that, if a sale does not go through soon, they will have to do something on the managerial front, and that could only be on a temporary basis.

The start of the new season is a little more than three weeks away - the Magpies travel to West Brom on August 8 - and the process of re-shaping the squad is yet to get under way.

Several players have already registered their displeasure with the lack of progress off the field, and some have indicated privately that their patience is wearing thin.

Should Ashley decide he has to appoint a short-term boss, Kinnear is at least available and has indicated he is keen to return to work.

However, he was the man who presided over the January departures of Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia and the one who, after being linked with a series of big-money signings, recruited Kevin Nolan, Ryan Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands.

City close in on Adebayor and Terry after Tevez finally completes his United switch

Carlos Tevez completed his £25.5million move to Manchester City yesterday and looks set to be joined at Eastlands by further star names.

As Tevez was being unveiled, Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor was having a medical.

And if a work permit is granted for the Togo forward he could be on today's flight to South Africa for City's three-match tour along with a growing number of top players.

If that was not enough, manager Mark Hughes has not given up on signing England captain John Terry and the defender's future is likely to be resolved before Chelsea leave tomorrow for a tour of the United States.

'I have had fantastic respect for John Terry since I saw him as a young player when I was at Chelsea,' said Hughes.

'He's a great player and an outstanding captain. Any manager would covet a player like that. But we have to respect he plays for Chelsea.'

Adebayor's days at Arsenal appear numbered, even though City remained silent on the prospect of a £25m transfer being speeded through.

'There has been discussions between ourselves and Arsenal,' Hughes confirmed.

'Yes, there has been contact and possibly there is a deal to be done.'

Villa agree £12million fee for Downing

Middlesbrough and Aston Villa have agreed a fee of around £12million for England winger Stewart Downing.

Metro understands the two clubs have struck a deal which could see the 24-year-old midfielder leave his home-town club for the midlands.
Downing is currently recovering from foot surgery which is likely to sideline him until October at the earliest, but has been promised by chairman Steve Gibson that he can leave if a big club comes in at the right price.