Carlos Tevez Opens Up on Manchester United Egos, Lionel Messi and More

Carlos Tevez has suggested he never felt settled at Manchester United due to the "big egos" at the club.

The Juventus striker—who joined the Red Devils' local rivals Manchester City upon exiting Old Trafford—also confirmed he was frozen out by former Citizens boss Roberto Mancini after refusing to come on as a substitute in the side's 2011 Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.

Tevez responded to being asked whether he "felt at home" in England during an interview with El Pais (h/t AS): "Not really at Manchester United because there were so many big egos there. At City I did, but I made a mistake and paid for it. I considered quitting football."

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Now a huge part of Massimiliano Allegri's plans in Turin, it's interesting to hear Tevez look back on his years in the Premier League. He formed a deadly trio alongside Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at United, winning six trophies in just two years at the Theatre of Dreams.

While Tevez doesn't specify exactly which players needed their egos satisfied, he outlined Paul Scholes and current team-mate Andrea Pirlo as the best passers he's played alongside, per AS.

City have long struggled to find a consistent replacement for Tevez, who enjoyed a prosperous partnership alongside countryman Sergio Aguero at the club.

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Players such as Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo have all failed to consistently impact matches, with current City boss Manuel Pellegrini recently opting to spend £28 million on Ivorian powerhouse Wilfried Bony. Tevez's industry and doggedness is sorely missed from the City front line.

Squawka recently highlighted his form for Juve:

The striker was also influential in Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League round of 16 first leg win over Borussia Dortmund, scoring the opener, per Getty:

Tevez has been welcomed back into the international scene with Argentina by new boss Gerardo Martino, reported by Tim Vickery of ESPN FC. He was left out of the 2014 World Cup squad by previous coach Alejandro Sabella, failing to even make the provisional 30.

FIFA.com reported Sabella's insistence on playing Lionel Messi in his Barca role—floating through the centre with an eye to dropping deep—"did not allow for Tevez to be part of his plans."

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Tevez denied Messi had "vetoed" his selection during the El Pais interview (translated by ESPN FC): 

"

That's journalist commentary... In Argentina they speak a lot of Messi or Tevez, one or the other. But we have always gotten along, on and off the pitch. Messi would never tell a coach who he has to play or not. I think he not only lacks the power to do that but also is not humanly capable of saying that.

"

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Things are certainly looking brighter for the player whose career has never been too far away from controversy. Tevez is leading the way in Serie A and is likely to capture a second Serie A title in successive years with Juventus.

Although things could have panned out differently, Tevez has proved he still has the quality to consistently influence matches at the top level.