By Xinhua
London : Argentine striker Carlos Tevez finally completed his move to Manchester United putting an end to the long-running saga over his registration.
The 23-year-old is now an official member of the squad after the Premier League ratified the two-year loan deal with Kia Joorabchian, the player’s agent.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce that Carlos Tevez has been registered as a member of its first-team squad by the Premier League,” United said in a statement Saturday.
Tevez, who scored the winner for West Ham at Old Trafford on the final day of last season, had become a free agent last week when Joorabchian paid his former club a 2 million-pound settlement.
The Argentine, who will wear the number 32 shirt, is now eligible to play for his new club and could take part in Sunday’s season opener against Reading, but Sir Alex Ferguson said that his first game was likely to be the derby at Manchester City Aug 19.
“Carlos has surprised us. We thought he would need more training but he looks in great shape,” he said.
“It is a difficult situation to assess because a derby game can be frenetic. Once we know he can play, we can make a decision quite easily.”
Tevez’s saga began back in April when West Ham were fined 5.5 million pounds for breaching league rules when they signed the striker and his Argentine team-mate Javier Mascherano, avoiding the point deduction though.
The Hammers’ response was to tear up the third-party agreement they had with Joorabchian, who claimed to own the striker’s economic rights.
When it emerged Tevez wanted to move to Manchester, the Hammers, backed by the Premier League, insisted they should receive the transfer fee, prompting Joorabchian to take legal action.
Joorabchian eventually agreed to pay West Ham two million pounds to release Tevez from his contract.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has promised to tighten the rules to avoid a repeat of the fiasco.