Poyet: Exit rumours not affecting Tevez despite Chinese culture shock

Carlos Tevez may have problems settling in China, but Shanghai Shenhua boss Gus Poyet said his star player is not thinking of calling it quits.

The well-travelled Argentine completed a move to the Far East in December in a deal that, according to Reuters, pays him €84 million over the course of his two-year contract.

It made him one of world football's most expensive players, although money apparently doesn't solve everything.

Rejecting reports linking Tevez away from the Chinese club, Poyet admitted the 32-year-old has struggled to deal with the culture shock.

"The main problems for Tevez is language and food," the former Sunderland manager told Ole, courtesy of ESPN FC's Michael Church. "Same as me, he can't speak Chinese and he needs a translator all the time or he won't be able to communicate with others.

"Fortunately he can speak a little Italian and English. Last week, he had a BBQ with (Colombian teammates Fredy) Guarin and (Giovanni) Moreno. Except that, he hasn't tried any Chinese food yet. He needs a lot of time to adapt to Chinese food.

"But he doesn't have any problem adapting to the Chinese time zone. He sleeps very well. His family are here with him, that makes him feel good. When he returns home, there are people he wants to see.

"Rumours are saying that Tevez will leave China, but these rumours won't affect him."

The former Manchester City and Juventus striker poached a goal in his Chinese Super League debut earlier this month, but in February suffered with his Shenhua teammates a shock defeat to Australian outfit Brisbane Roar in the qualifying round of the Asian Champions League.