Manchester United Must Fight To Keep Carlos Tevez

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson enjoys the kind of job security usually reserved for doctors, dentists, and teachers. Certainly the kind of job security we may never see in the Premier League again.

Allowing the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham to leave Old Trafford, Ferguson has shown he doesn't shy from unpopular decisions and, with the Carlos Tevez affair evolving into a drawn out saga, yet another tough call will have to be made.

By losing Carlos Tevez, Manchester United would be losing not only a talented and tenacious striker, but a firm fan favourite on the terraces as well.

Talk of a move to Manchester City, Liverpool, or even a return to Brazilian side, Corinthians, where he originally made a name for himself, is unsurprising. His determination and passion has undoubtedly helped United seal several crucial victories this season.

It can be said with some conviction that if it weren't for Tevez's vital goals (such as his equalizer at Stoke City last week) and his overall pitch-covering enthusiasm, United would not be celebrating a record-equaling 18th league title.

Now, can the same be said for the £30m Dimitar Berbatov?

The price tag of £25 million placed on Tevez's head is undoubtedly an inflated figure, engineered by his agent and owner of his economic rights, Kia Joorabchian.

You can certainly empathize with Ferguson's hesitation in wanting to part with such a figure, especially given that Ferguson has stated both publicly, and to the player himself, that he wants to thrash out a permanent deal.

However, Joorabchian apparently made it clear to Gill during a meeting in London last Wednesday that he is not willing to budge on his price. Tevez, moreover, has been described as "humiliated" that United no longer value him at £32 million.

In 2007, United's priority was to sign the player on a financially attractive two-year loan deal than contemplate making a comparatively risky purchase, thus questioning whether Ferguson ever genuinely agreed with Joorabchian's £32 million valuation of Tevez.

Add to the mix that Tevez's own disillusionments with the United hierarchy, who he feels have treated him with a "lack of respect", edge the player closer to a breakdown with United.

Claims and counter claims continue to muddy the waters of what has become a hot, but delicate topic.

With every day that passes, however, a reconciliation between player and club edge ever nearer the abyss.

Whether the player will be representing United next season, or one of the host of European clubs who have failed to rule out making a move for the Argentine, the fact that Ferguson's Premier League winning speech was drowned out by chants of "Fergie, Fergie, sign him up", tells you everything you need to know.

For United, a club who has millions of fans and bottomless pockets, losing Tevez would be another sad triumph for money over logic.