MANCHESTER (Reuters) – Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has
told Manchester City he wants to stay at the club for the long term in a remarkable turnaround for a player who was an
outcast only months ago.
Manchester City celebrates his hat-trick against Norwich City during their English Premier League match, April 14, 2012.
REUTERS/Andrew Winning
Speaking ahead of Monday night’s
Manchester derby that will decide whether the Premier League title stays at United’s Old Trafford or goes to City’s Etihad
Stadium, Tevez said he had repaired his relationship with manager Roberto Mancini.
“My relationship with the manager
is totally fine, he’s been as good as gold with me and there have been absolutely no problems,” the former United player
told Monday’s Manchester Evening News.
“I’m an ambitious person. I want to work hard and win things with
City.”
Tevez said Abu Dhabi-owned City had big plans and he wanted to be part of them.
“This club has been
building something special for the past few years. It was the project and the dream that made me come to City in the first
place,” he declared.
“I’ve been here since the start of that project and I share the same vision as (owner) Sheikh
Mansour (bin Zayed Al Nahyan),” Tevez added.
“He has always been brilliant with me and I want to repay his faith and
stay here as long as it takes to make the project a success.”
Mancini and Tevez fell out in September after the
manager said the player refused to warm up as a substitute for a Champions League match against Bayern Munich, with the
Italian saying the Argentine would never play for the club again.
Tevez, who returned to Manchester in February after
an unauthorised three-month absence in Argentina, reappeared in the starting line-up this month after apologising and being
integrated back into the first-team squad.
City, who are three points adrift of league leaders United, have a superior
goal difference and can go back to the top if they win at home on Monday.
Tevez goes into the game as the man who can
make all the difference, according to his manager.
“I think Carlos is destined to score the most important goal in the
history of this club,” said Mancini.