Carlos Tevez's performances for Manchester City in recent games - capped by his hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers - prove once again that he is a massive talent.
In footballing terms, the transfer was a "no-brainer" for City. Tevez had shown at Old Trafford that he had ability allied to work-rate. If he started a game, you got the work-rate. If he came on as substitute, you got the work-rate - and no sulking about making a late entrance.
Tevez could come into a game and change it. He gives 100% in every second he is on the pitch. When you look at him in comparison to, say, Robinho, it is like chalk and cheese.
Robinho has got fantastic natural talent, but up against the attitude and ability of Tevez, the Argentine goes into a different stratosphere. The goals he is providing are the icing on the cake and have helped new City manager Roberto Mancini make a flawless start. At City, the fact that he has added regular goalscoring to his weaponry ensures Tevez has been totally central to their recent run of good results. He is now admired as much, if not more, at Eastlands as he was during his time at United.
Of course, it immediately begs the question of whether Ferguson should have kept Tevez at Old Trafford, especially in the light of Manchester United's failure to hit the heights this season. It is far too early to be making definitive judgements on things like that, but there is no doubt United would currently be better off having Tevez at their disposal than not.
 Berbatov is an easy target when Man Utd are not playing well |
We have to surmise the money on offer to make the deal was bigger at Manchester City than at Manchester United. Ferguson had to weigh up whether Tevez was worth all of the money the transfer was going to cost and obviously decided against it.
Clubs have a ceiling on what they will pay to buy, or in Tevez's case keep, a player. They may go a little over it, but United believed their ceiling had been reached when it came to Tevez. City had the money to make a deal happen and are reaping a rich reward at the moment.
It was a good deal for City because they knew what they were getting. They had witnessed his talent a few miles down the road and, without being disparaging about all foreign players who come to these shores, they knew for certain they were getting a player with a fantastic attitude and total commitment.
Tevez's success is being placed in even sharper relief by the struggles of Dimitar Berbatov. It is inevitable comparisons will be made - and for Berbatov they will not be flattering. For now, at least.
I still think Berbatov is a great player, but he has not been producing what a £30m striker playing for Manchester United should. I do not think he has been as bad as people have said, though, and I also think he was better than people gave him credit for last season.
When a team is struggling, like United have at times this season, a player who has Berbatov's languid style is always going to be one of the first in line for criticism. I sympathise because when I struggled people used to look at my style and almost suggest I was not interested. That was not the case at all.
One thing is certain. If a side is struggling, then a player with Berbatov's style will always get more flak that one who plays with the all-action effort of Tevez.Tevez's contribution has put City in the top four and will give them genuine hopes of Champions League football next season. And, just lurking in the back of their minds, will be the fact that none of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal has made a cast-iron case to be Premier League champions this season.
All logic and past form tells us the champions will come from one of those three, but I don't say that with total confidence because every time someone is presented with a chance to make a statement of intent they slip up.
As I said on Match Of The Day on Saturday, it is a tribute to Ferguson and what United have inside the camp that they are still title contenders because they have not played well. Chelsea and Arsenal have had spells when they have been truly outstanding, but you cannot really say the same about United. Indeed, by their own standards, United have been poor.
 Tevez jumps for delight after completing his hat-trick |
In any other season, their title aspirations would be dead and buried, but the unpredictable nature of this campaign means they are very much alive. It is almost like nobody wants to win the title.
I am not saying City will be champions, but this has been an amazing season and there is intrigue all over the place. And City have that huge transfer budget to utilise - something they will be even more willing to do if they think great prizes could be the reward.
They will certainly regard a place in the top four as a realistic possibility. Spurs and Aston Villa have both been regarded as favourites for fourth place and then had a slip. Liverpool are also a very large part of this particular equation.
If they win their game in hand, City are only three points behind Manchester United, so you can see why they will have high hopes for the rest of the season.
And the performances of the man they took from Old Trafford will do nothing to lessen the sense of optimism around Eastlands.
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