Ferguson : Tevez recall is a sign of desperation

Sir Alex Ferguson has issued a withering attack on rivals Manchester City, describing their decision to recall Carlos Tevez as "desperate" and warning he has "plenty of ammunition" if City want to engage in title-race mind games. The Manchester United manager's tirade was provoked by comments made by City's football development executive Patrick Vieira on Wednesday. Vieira claimed Paul Scholes' return from retirement in January was a sign of weakness and added that United should be "really worried" by the loss of youngster Ravel Morrison to West Ham and difficulties in persuading 19-year-old Paul Pogba to stay. Ferguson, whose verbal battles with the likes of Kevin Keegan, Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez during tense title run-ins have been a recurring theme, was scathing in his response. "If it's desperation bringing back the best midfield player in Britain over the last 20 years, then I think we can accept that," Ferguson said. "If you're talking desperation, they were playing a player the other night who refused to go on the pitch and the manager says ‘he'll never play again'. "He then takes a five-month holiday in Argentina. What is that? Could that come under the description ‘desperation'?" Ferguson believes Vieira's criticism of United was a deliberate attempt by City to destabilise their rivals, but warned them it would backfire Ferguson added: "I think he was programmed for that. I think Roberto Mancini also had a little dig a couple of weeks back. "We're all going to play our hand that way, but I've got plenty of ammunition for that. I think it happens. We can all play our hand at these kind of things, it doesn't bother me. "You'll always get that kind of thing to try to unnerve the team, if not the manager. It's normal. It's not a problem. But I've got plenty of ammunition, don't worry. They can try." Tevez, who made the winning goal for Samir Nasri against Chelsea after ending his five-month exile from the substitutes' bench on Wednesday, apologised to Mancini last month following a lengthy dispute with City which reached its nadir when he refused to warm up as a substitute against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last September. Vieira's insistence that United were now struggling to keep their rising stars was flatly rejected by the Scot. "The point he makes about Ravel Morrison and losing our young players — we wanted to sell Ravel Morrison, let's be clear about that, for obvious reasons. But we want Paul Pogba to stay because we think he is going to be a fantastic Manchester United player and hopefully that's the case. City, United match The two clubs appear destined to contest a winner-takes-all clash at the Etihad on April 30 and Ferguson admits United are determined to see off their neighbours. He said: "I think their home record suggests they are going to win their home games mainly, but they may make a mistake somewhere along the line. It would be nice [if that happened on April 30]. It's not easy to win all your home games, as you know, in this league. "I think we said early season that the borders have been changed a bit. If you look at our main competitors, they have always been Liverpool and now it's City. "So either way, if it was Liverpool or City, you would desperately want to beat them at whatever it is — at tiddlywinks or ludo, anything. And this is the same case. It's more important because it is one of your rivals — city rivals, you know? "But we've still got to win our games. We've got nine games over the next few weeks — five at home and four away — and that's the challenge.