Carlos Tevez’s two-goal haul against Manchester United in the Carling Cup has reignited the debate about whether his former club were right not to sign him permanently – but the truth is that the Argentine’s two-year spell at Old Trafford already proved that it was a bad move by the champions.   After lashing the ball high into the net from the spot and heading home from close range to turn Manchester City’s first leg tie against their illustrious neighbours on its head, he gave a very clear message to his former employers. It may have been unwise to inflame an already heated encounter but when United refused to stump up the money and forced him to play second fiddle to a £30m deadweight for much of last season, then you can see where he’s coming from.   And the hand gesture to suggest that he didn’t appreciate some of the pre-match comments made about him was the least to expect – and perhaps a lesson for Gary Neville not to wind up the opposition especially if he’s a former team-mate.

It was poetic justice for Tevez, who apparently wasn’t worth the asking price because he didn’t score enough goals for United – which was true last season. True due to the fact that it’s very hard to score when you are on the bench most of the time and limited to mainly substitute’s appearances or League Cup starts. Taking into account his goals to starts ratio his tally wasn’t too bad.

The year before, when he did play on a regular basis, he scored over 20 goals in all competitions which isn’t a bad start to a debut season for a club of United’s stature. And while Tevez’s doubters obsess over his lack of strikes maybe they should focus on quality over quantity. They weren’t just goals; they were vital goals at critical times of United’s double-winning 2007-08 season. The last-gasp equalisers at White Hart Lane and Ewood Park in the title race when United were destined for defeat, the late away goal at Lyon and the strike against Roma in the knockout phase of the Champions League. Crucial goals that define a season, not tap-ins in a rout win the opposing team have already thrown in the towel.

And of course his terrier-like qualities of hounding the opposition pestered Barcelona into submission in the semi-finals. When a player makes a telling contribution by helping his club win successive championships, the European Cup and reach the final the following year he is worth at least the same amount as Dimitar Berbatov.

It seems a bit hypocritical to say Tevez isn’t worth it yet the club continues to waste obscene amounts of money on players like the Bulgarian, Nani and Michael Carrick -chancers who will help you win sweet FA. Yes Tevez may not have the first touch of Berbatov but unlike the former Bayer Leverkusen forward he makes things happen, rather than waiting for them to happen.

The attributes Tevez showed at Eastlands were exactly the type United sorely missed as they slumped to defeat – and while you wouldn’t bet against them overturning a 2-1 deficit on their own patch in the second leg it won’t stop the chants of ‘Fergie Fergie sign him up.’ The repercussions of failing to do just that will be felt when United struggle to overcome the likes of AC Milan and maintain the pace with their domestic rivals.