Carlos Tevez will not play for Shanghai Shenhua until he gets in shape, says new coach

The Argentine Carlos Tevez will not play for Shanghai Shenhua again until he gets in shape, announced the team's new coach.

"I have to talk to Tevez today about tactics, but I won't allow him to play for now. He is not physically prepared," said Wu Jingui, who replaced Uruguayan Gustavo Poyet as coach, in an interview published Wednesday by the Shanghai Morning Post.

"Both he and (Colombian Fredy) Guarín are overweight. I need to take responsibility for the team and the players. When you are on the field, if you can't play 100%, there is no point in playing," he added.

Tevez, 33, is one of the highest paid players on the planet, earning around 730,000 euros per week, but he has only scored two goals this season and has missed half of the games due to an injury.

The former Manchester United, Manchester City, and Juventus player hinted that he would leave China at the end of the season and has been labeled a "nostalgic boy from his country" by Shenhua fans and Chinese media.

Tevez recently returned to his country to treat a muscle injury. The Argentine was not well received by his team's fans when he entered as a substitute on the field last weekend in his team's 2-1 defeat.

This coach's reprimand is the latest chapter in Tevez's turbulent nine months in China. Tevez angered Shenhua fans earlier this year when he missed an important match due to an injury, and was later seen at Shanghai Disneyland.