Troy Deeney has claimed that Manchester City used to have a striker who was the best grafter he has ever seen.
Such a claim could be made about Sergio Aguero, who despite not being the best in training, as per Micah Richards become a relentless presser under Pep Guardiola’s keen eye.
Aguero was an incredibly complete number nine anyway but in terms of his defensive work, it reached unprecedented levels under Guardiola.
Troy Deeney claims Carlos Tevez is the most hard working striker he has ever seen
Similarly, Gabriel Jesus, who left Manchester City to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 2022 was rightly praised for how brilliant he was defensively.
Jesus’ pressing remains one of the very best in the world, with how he pressed Varane to force him into a mistake and set up Sterling’s goal against Real Madrid in 2020 still coming to mind.
Nowadays, City have a grafter in the mould of the Brazilian international in Julian Alvarez, even if he is not as accomplished defensively as the former.
But while building his ultimate striker, when Troy Deeney was asked to pick a player for his work rate, he replied, “Carlos Tevez” [via ESPN UK on TikTok].
Carlos Tevez was relentless
In a similar vein to Troy Deeney, Kolo Toure has also previously claimed that Carlos Tevez was the type of player who would wish to win every possible ball while he was playing.
The former Manchester City captain had the engine to harry defenders, as he chased down across the pitch to regain possession.
Even at Manchester United, one of many qualities that Tevez possessed is that he was a fighter and every time his team lost the ball, he would do everything in his power to win it back.
This very quality is also why Carlos Tevez was useful when shifted deeper as a second striker, as he would help the midfielders in their off-the-ball work with his tireless work rate in games.
Considering how brilliant a finisher, striker of the ball and technically gifted he was as well, Tevez is the type of player who would stand out in any era of football.