Lionel Messi Says Manchester United Did Not Respect Carlos Tevez

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi believes that Manchester United did not make Carlos Tevez feel wanted enough when the striker, now with Manchester City , was at Old Trafford.

Tevez heads into Saturday's derby against United with 28 goals to his credit so far this season, and Messi, who claims to have learned much from his international teammate, feels that the impressive tally partly reflects the fact that Tevez feels more valued at Eastlands than he was at United.

"I try to be my own player but, if you are talking about English-based players, then I have learnt a lot from Carlitos," said Messi, according to The Daily Express.

"He has proved this season he is one of the best strikers in the world and Manchester United have shown just how much they have missed him. He needed to be somewhere he was valued.

"He is such a nice guy, he must be with a club who really want him and respect him."

And Messi insists that Tevez is one of the kindest and politest men he has met, something which could have contributed to his spending so much time on the bench at old Trafford.

"He always stays so humble and never gets annoyed when he doesn’t play," Messi added.

"He is just one of the best people in the world. You will never meet a nicer guy and, if you see him with his daughter, it will just melt your heart, I promise you.

"He follows her around and will do anything for her. Even when Carlitos is on the bench for Argentina he is shouting encouragement to the team, and you can learn a lot from a guy like that."