Carlos Tevez is unlikely to feature for Shanghai Shenhua this weekend. Photo: AFP
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https://scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2111429/carlos-tevez-doing-extra-training-shed-pounds-shanghai-shenhua-after Football
Carlos Tevez doing extra training to shed pounds for Shanghai Shenhua after weight-gain criticism
Caretaker manager Wu Jingui says fans will see a ‘different Tevez’ with striker showing improved attitude at Chinese Super League club
Carlos Tevez is out of form and fitness at Shanghai Shenhua. Photo: AFP
Carlos Tevez has shown a better attitude and is doing extra training of his own will, the coach of Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua said on Friday, days after he called the Argentine overweight.
Wu Jingui, who took over this week after Gus Poyet quit on Monday, vowed that Chinese football would see “a different Tevez” from now on.
“Tevez is still quite positive and absorbed in training, he even started doing extra training of his own volition,” Wu said on Friday.
“This is the kind of attitude the team needs and in its current situation welcomes.”
The unfit Tevez is unlikely to feature in Saturday’s derby against Shanghai SIPG, the latest chapter in a colourful career spanning Argentina, Brazil, England, Italy and now China.
The 33-year-old forward earns among the highest wages in football, an estimated US$850,000 a week, but his eight months in China have been dogged by injury and poor form.
Poyet resigned with Shenhua below mid-table in the Chinese Super League (CSL) and his successor Wu wasted no time in telling Tevez that he would not be part of his plans until he shapes up.
But speaking on the eve of the Shanghai derby, Wu took a more conciliatory tone.
“Tevez’s experience and level is not in doubt, it’s not like he needs to prove himself in the CSL,” said Wu.
“In some ways he had some adaptation problems since he came here, but you can see that his arrival has brought more attention to Shenhua.”
Carlos Tevez is reportedly looking to move back to Boca Juniors in Argentina. Photo: AFP
Asked if Tevez would play again for the Shanghai club, Wu replied: “Definitely. With his current attitude we will see a different Tevez.”
Shenhua fans and football supporters in general in China will need convincing.
The Argentine former international was jeered by supporters when he came on as a substitute last weekend during a 2-1 home defeat and they have turned on him, having given him a hero’s welcome when he arrived in January.
Tevez, whose former clubs include Boca Juniors, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, has previously hinted he will look to leave China when the CSL season ends in November after failing to settle.
Local fans and media have an unflattering nickname for Tevez, “Very Homesick Boy”, a play on how his name is pronounced in Chinese and a nod to his problems settling.