ALEX FERGUSON insisted last night he still wanted to keep Carlos Tevez at Manchester United but admitted for the first time it may not happen and expressed his irritation about the Argentina international going public with his grievances.

“I think he genuinely wants to stay here and that is something we are trying to work towards,” said Ferguson. “I have told him that repeatedly. There is not much more I can do.”

Tevez had told the Radio Del Plata radio station in his homeland an “exit” would be the “best solution”, citing the frequency with which he had been omitted from key games. Ferguson, however, was unimpressed, pointing out “he’s played more minutes than Rooney and Berbatov this season”.

While strictly true, that is largely because Tevez has played in the League Cup, a competition in which Ferguson traditionally plays reserve and youth-team players. In terms of the Premier League, Tevez has been on the pitch for 1,591 minutes compared with Rooney’s 1,875 and Berbatov’s 2,183. Tevez’s grievance is he has been overlooked in so many key fixtures. In the Champions League, he has played 325 minutes compared with Rooney’s 708 and Berbatov’s 442.

“That is a different question,” said Ferguson, “but he has played in quite a few big games. I don’t want him to be unhappy because he is an important player for us but the difficulty comes from when you have the options I have. I bought another striker in Berbatov and I have the option of playing [Cristiano] Ronaldo as a striker. You create problems for yourself because all good players want to play in every game. But they can’t play in every game in this league – it is impossible.”

United have paid for each of Tevez’s last two seasons but would have to pay another €24 million to the player’s management company to make it a permanent deal and Ferguson was inconclusive when asked whether the player would still be at Old Trafford next season. “Yeah, I think he should be. Well, I certainly hope so.”

Ferguson was then asked whether United were “vulnerable” to other clubs poaching Tevez. “Of course we are,” he said. “That is our weakness. His loan period finishes at the end of the season. He does his interviews in South America, not in England, so you can understand how they can lead him into saying things he maybe doesn’t really believe or mean.

“We have six games left in the league and at least two in the Champions League, and hopefully at the end of the season he will realise he has made a big contribution. I go back to the point that he has played more minutes than any of the other players up front. I think if he looked at that he would think differently.”

While Tevez remains a popular player with the Old Trafford crowd, some fans booed when Berbatov’s name was read out before Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat of Portsmouth. “He is down about it,” said Ferguson, who revealed that the injured Gary Neville would miss the next fortnight, including both legs of the Champions League semi-final with Arsenal.

In the meantime, Harry Redknapp, boss of Tottenham, United’s opponents in the league this evening, expects Ferguson’s side to wrap up the Premier League title – regardless of whether his Tottenham side win at Old Trafford today.

Redknapp is proud of leading Spurs to the top of the current form table and is looking to secure a European place, although he feels a victory against United will not change the destination of the championship.

Ferguson’s men are three points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand and Redknapp cannot see them slipping up.

“United have it more or less sewn up now,” said Redknapp. “I would be surprised if they lost the title from here.

“They are three points clear with a game in hand, so they are in a great position. Chelsea failing to beat Everton on Wednesday means Liverpool are now their only danger.

“You are asking United to lose two of their final six matches, which is a tall order.”

With the finishing line in sight, Redknapp expects to face a full-strength United side despite Ferguson also preparing his squad for the Champions League first leg tie with Arsenal on Wednesday.

Ferguson rested a number of players for the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Everton last weekend,

but Redknapp said: “He probably wants to put the championship to bed and will pick as strong a side as possible.

“If they win they will be close to doing that.”

Spurs, however, have lost just once in nine league matches and, after being bottom when Redknapp arrived in October, could seal a place in next season’s Europa League.