Tevez completes Man Utd transfer

Tevez is now free to make his Manchester United debut

Manchester United have finally completed the signing of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez.

The summer saga involving Tevez eventually came to an end when the Premier League approved the deal - thought to be a two-year loan.

The 23-year-old had become a free agent when his agent Kia Joorabchian paid former club West Ham a £2m settlement.

Tevez is eligible to play against Reading on Sunday but the striker is not yet match fit.

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His first game is likely to be the derby at Manchester City on Sunday 19 August.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Carlos has surprised us. We thought he would need more training but he looks in great shape.

"It is a difficult situation to assess because a derby game can be frenetic. Once we know he can play, we can make a decision quite easily."

Tevez's registration as a United player brings to an end a long-running saga, which began back in April when West Ham were fined for breaching league rules when they signed the striker and his Argentine team-mate Javier Mascherano.

606: DEBATE And with that, the most boring transfer saga ever was laid to rest ZGB

The Hammers' response was to tear up an agreement they had with Joorabchian - who claimed to own the striker's economic rights.

But when it emerged Tevez wanted to join United, the Hammers, backed by the Premier League, insisted they should receive the transfer fee, prompting Joorabchian to take legal action.

Joorabchian eventually agreed to pay West Ham £2m to release Tevez from his contract, allowing the Argentine to join United on a similar deal to the one that took Mascherano to Liverpool in January.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has promised to tighten the rules to avoid a repeat of the saga.

"What made this an unbelievable story was an unbelievable series of events," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"West Ham were all-but relegated at Christmas and then Tevez scored a few goals right at the end of the season and they were able to escape.

"It's unscripted drama and one of the things that makes football so interesting but in other ways it looks like a road crash in how some of the events appear."