Wayne Rooney admits he was 'devastated' by Man Utd transfer and claims he 'wanted to stay' at Old Trafford

Wayne Rooney says he was left "devastated" when one of his teammates left Manchester United in controversial fashion.

It's been almost 16 years since Carlos Tevez moved across Manchester to complete one of the most talked-about signings in Premier League history and the feelings remain raw for some supporters.

After a brief two-season spell under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Argentine made headlines with the now-iconic 'Welcome to Manchester' billboard sign.

Tevez then accused United of showing him a lack of respect, claiming he was badly treated, while Ferguson labelled City as "a small club with a small mentality".

Ferguson added: "That arrogance will be rewarded. It is a go at us, that’s the one thing it is. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."

Somebody who was "devastated' by Tevez's departure was former strike partner Wayne Rooney.

"I was gutted to be honest, I’m pretty sure Carlos wanted to stay at Manchester United," he told the BBC.

"Man City at the time were trying to build and become competitive and I knew that he’d be a massive part of that because obviously the ability he has. I think we’ve seen when he went there, he had some great times there as well.

"I was devastated, I would’ve really like him to stay longer and continue to play with him.'

When asked to name the player he enjoyed playing alongside most, Rooney barely hesitated as he named Tevez as the ultimate strike partner.

Speaking to SPORTbible, he said: “Tevez. I just loved our connection. The two of us up front, we complimented each other really well.

“Normally if I played with Louis Saha, Ruud van Nistelrooy or Robin van Persie – these strikers were always the No.9 and I’d play as a No.10. With Tevez we could rotate, I’d be the No.9, he’d take the No.9 spot and I’d be No.10. When we lost the ball we’d be like two bulls trying to get it back.

“As a strike partner, he was the one I enjoyed playing with the most.”

The Ronaldo-Tevez-Rooney trio will go down in Premier League history. Image credit: Getty

Tevez has been complimentary about Rooney in the past.

In fact, the former Juventus and Boca Juniors striker claims he was laughed at by his United teammates for driving an Audi until Rooney decided to lend him his Lamborghini.

"It wasn't the same at Manchester United as at Boca," Tevez said in a 2019 interview with ESPN Argentina.

"I missed a penalty at Boca and they killed me, this didn't happen at United. Even the worst player came with a Ferrari. I was there with an Audi which the club had given me and they all laughed at me.

"'Take the Lamborghini,' Rooney told me. I went to find it at his house and he let me keep it for 10 days."

Tevez added that he "identified a lot" with Rooney, who he said "came from a poor area in Liverpool and always fought for the ball as if it were the last".