Carlos Tevez insists he never thought about following Antonio Conte out of Juventus – even if his old foe Roberto Mancini had been appointed as their new head coach.
Conte left Juve last week having guided the Turin club to three consecutive Serie A titles and reports in Italy suggested Tevez, whose 19 league goals were key to Bianconeri success in 2013-14, had subsequently asked the board to clarify his own position.
Fresh from departing Galatasaray, former Manchester City manager Mancini appeared to be an serious option to replace Conte.
He had worked with Tevez at City before the pair’s relationship soured when the striker was accused of refusing to come off the bench during a Champions League match in September 2011.
The potential issue was swerved, however, when Massimiliano Allegri was handed the Juve job, but Tevez stressed he was fully committed to pursue a fourth straight Scudetto with the club regardless.
“I never spoke to [director of sport Beppe] Marotta,” Tevez told www.juventus.com.
“I’m just a player and [the board] don’t need to ask for my point of view on these matters. I think the papers should show greater respect when they write these things. Those who do so only want to harm Juventus.
“Leaving the club has never entered my head. I’ve got a three-year contract and I want to see it out here.”
Tevez rejected the idea that retaining the Italian championship will be a tougher proposition following Conte’s departure, but conceded plenty of challenges await his teammates.
“Winning four in a row is tough,” he added. “We’re the same group and need to demonstrate that we’re the ones who achieved three consecutive titles.
“Of course, it was sad for me to see Conte go, but we’re working well in pre-season under Allegri and that’s the most important thing.
“We’ll see what happens on the pitch. Let’s not forget that we are the reigning champions. We’re working well and ready to tackle both Serie A and the [Uefa] Champions League.”
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