Tevez will look back at Tuesday as his worst mistake – Wilson

The incident has evoked memories of a spat during Wilson’s time at Sheffield Wednesday when Italian striker Benito Carbone refused to sit on the bench for a Premier League game at Southampton.

Carbone, who was a cult hero in Sheffield 6 at the time, never started another game for the Owls and subsequently joined Aston Villa for a knock-down price.

Wilson is now employed by the Blades who have never forgiven Tevez for his role in the club’s relegation from the Premier League four years ago. The Argentinian’s goals for rivals West Ham United effectively condemned the Blades to the drop and, although they won around £22m in compensation after a lengthy legal battle, it failed to stop the rot which ended in relegation to League One this summer.

“It was disgraceful,” said Wilson when asked about Tevez’s behaviour this week. “He will look back at it as the worst mistake possible in his career.

“He is backtracking now and trying to wriggle off the hook but it was such a barmy thing to do. I don’t care what level it is. But when it is the top level – and you have worked all your career to get there? I just can’t believe he’s done it. And at Bayern Munich of all places. I would hobble on there now!”

Tevez, who nearly joined Brazilian club Corinthians in the summer for £40m, is now suspended by City pending the outcome of an investigation into the events during the game at Bayern Munich.

Wilson expressed sympathy for City manager Roberto Mancini as well as the supporters who had travelled to Germany only to be let down by a ‘hero’.

“I heard (Tottenham manager) Harry Redknapp saying that he felt sorry for Manchester City and you have to,” Wilson reflected. “You also have to feel sorry for the fans who travelled; they held him in the highest esteem this guy, even when he said he wanted to leave, they still thought of him as a ‘hero’ – but that’s changed now. All that support he had is down to nothing and they can’t wait to get rid of him.”

Mancini now has to wrestle with identical issues surrounding Tevez as burdened Wilson in the wake of Carbone’s antics in August 1999.

“As a manager, you have to overlook him and then he (the player) takes the consequence afterwards,” said the Blades manager. “The sad thing is that it’s a players’ world and they dictate. We couldn’t turn around and say we are not going to do our job. We would be up the road.

“Do you cancel his contract and let someone pick him up for nothing? Or do you keep hold of him until January and sell him? That’s the dilemma. At least they will get something for him (in January) but it will be deflated. All in all, the player’s decision costs everyone a lot of money.

“They could have got £40m for him two months ago. That asset is diminishing now. And if you are, potentially, the buying club, you will be rubbing your hands together. He’s got his eyes set on somewhere else and now it becomes more realistic.”

Wilson thinks lower league players are far less likely to behave like that as they do not have the same finances to fall back on.

He has also stressed the importance of unity to his own squad with competition for places growing at Bramall Lane.

Captain Nick Montgomery, for example, is waiting for an opportunity on the sidelines after missing the start of the season with an ankle injury.

Leading scorer Richard Cresswell is also having to settle for a place on the bench while summer signing Lescinel Jean-Francois has been replaced by loan signing Marcus Williams since picking up a one-game ban.

“We want the team and the squad to be as understanding as we can,” said Wilson. “We are going to have to change the team around at times and we are going to have a different approach to games at certain times.

“The squad is together for a reason and there is no favouritism. That is because we all want to get a result on the day. Everyone supports everyone else in those circumstances. If we can get that mentality running through the club, it will be fantastic,” he said.

The Blades, who are currently third in the League One table, host leaders Charlton Athletic tomorrow at Bramall Lane.

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