Tevez won two Premier League titles in as many seasons with United between 2007 and 2009, as well as the UEFA Champions League.

He acrimoniously left the club for rival Manchester City after his two-year loan stint at Old Trafford came to an end.

While many United fans were angry at the Argentine for joining City, it was his deteriorating attitude after a stellar debut campaign at United that irritated Neville.

"What annoyed me about Tevez was that he downed tools in his second season," former United captain Neville said.

"He started sitting on the treatment table, started coming out late for training, started messing around.

"He was playing the club and I couldn't stand that, particularly being how I was at the time, which was a ferocious Manchester United person who never thought of anything else in my life.

"I understood that he had circumstances, but his people were in his ear all the time and he was so led by his people. It was always going to come to an end like it did.

"I felt disappointed that, as a professional, he didn't act the right way.

"The problem that I had with Tevez wasn't that he went to play for Manchester City. That wasn't the main issue for me. It was the way it played out in those last few months. I didn't like it."

Cristiano Ronaldo, who also departed at the end of the 2008-09 season, was an example of a player who left United in the right way, according to Neville.

"I never had a problem with people leaving the club," he said. "David Beckham left the club, Cristiano Ronaldo left the club, Ruud van Nistelrooy left the club. Great, great players.

"But there was a way to leave the club and the way to behave while you're there."

Neville was keen to stress he was an admirer of Tevez's ability, as he formed a devastating front three with Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

He said: "Let's be clear here, Tevez, for a year, with Ronaldo and Rooney, was just breathtaking.

"It was out of this world, not just because of the quality of the players, but because there was a real selfish, horrible, nasty determination to those three.

"Ronaldo in a different way on the pitch, in the sense that he wouldn't go around kicking people, hassling people and hustling.

"He was just immense in terms of his performance levels. But Rooney and Tevez were street fighters, with unbelievable ability. 

"We talk about the best front threes in the Premier League - you'll never beat those three for me."