Tevez 'my favourite strike partner'
"Most defenders we played against hated playing against the two of us."
Those are the words of Wayne Rooney, reflecting on his time playing alongside Carlos Tevez in a special episode of the Football Daily podcast about the divisive Argentine great.
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Tevez spent two trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Carabao Cup and the Club World Cup.
"When Carlos joined Manchester United, there was a lot of talk about whether Carlos and I could play up front together," said Rooney. "I was really excited when we signed him.
"We were similar in ways how we played - both worked hard and could both play as a nine, both play off the forward as well.
"We had a really good understanding and chemistry on the pitch, off the pitch.
"I used to pick him up to take him to the airport before Champions League games. It was interesting actually because we couldn't really have a conversation. I think his English was better than he let on.
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"He's a player you'd always want on your team and he scored some great goals for us, at big moments for us as well. Two years at Manchester United - two league titles, the Champions League... he was a massive part of that.
"I think Carlos was my favourite strike partner to play alongside.
"Most defenders we played actually hated playing against the two of us and we could feel that. We knew we were nasty as well.
"Very instinctive, intense, off the cuff. Anything could happen at any moment."
[Getty Images]
Tevez's time at Old Trafford ended in controversy, with a move to city rivals Manchester City and the iconic 'Welcome to Manchester' billboard that followed.
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"When Carlos moved to Man City, I was gutted to be honest and I'm pretty sure Carlos wanted to stay at Manchester United," Rooney added.
"At the time, City were trying to build, become competitive and win titles. I knew that he'd be a massive part of that because of the ability he has and I think we saw that when he went there.
"He had some great times at Manchester City so I was devastated. I would have really liked for him to stay longer and to continue to play together."
Listen to the full podcast here
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