RANGERS boss Walter Smith fears young aces Danny Wilson and John Fleck have been talked into putting contracts above careers by their agent.

The two 18-year-olds, represented by the same company, turned down new deals this week and see their long-term futures elsewhere with Ibrox chiefs having ruled out making any improved offers.

Spurs have been tracking centre-back Wilson for some time and are likely to rekindle their interest.

Wilson and Fleck have 18 months of their current agreements to run, but the SPL champions must start thinking about selling rather than letting them run down their deals to quit for free.

Smith said: “It is disappointing for everyone at the club that they did that, but that’s the world we live in.

“The situation we are placed in with agents is that the players are not handling that aspect of it. It used to be that a player’s father would come in. Agents are involved now and I just feel that aspect of it has changed their viewpoint.

“Perhaps the most disappointing factor of it is that contractual aspects at 17 and 18 years of age are being placed before careers.

“We have brought a couple through the ranks that we think are going to be decent players, but it looks as though they see their futures lying elsewhere.

“If kids weren’t getting an opportunity, I’d say fair enough, but they are getting chances at Rangers and Celtic now.”

It’s understood the Gers put forward an impressive offer that was based largely around bonus payments tied to first-team appearances. But Smith fears there’s no way Fleck and Wilson, who has also been linked with Manchester United, can now be persuaded to stay.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has defended his controversial goal celebrations against former club Manchester United, accusing Gary Neville of behaving disrespectfully.


Tevez, who joined City in the summer after United decided not to spend £25 million to keep him, goaded former United team-mate Neville during his two-goal performance in the 2-1 Carling Cup semi-final first-leg victory.

The Argentine said his provocative goal celebrations were: "A response to them saying I was not worth the money."

Neville publicly backed Sir Alex Ferguson's decision not to buy the forward, who also gestured towards the United directors but insisted there was "nothing malicious intended".

"Gary was very disrespectful, which is out of character, but he didn't know the whole story of why I left Manchester United and I believe I deserved his respect," Tevez said.

"Football is a form of theatre and it was just a form of banter. There was nothing malicious intended. I was not trying to incite anyone but I was entitled to say to Neville that he should have been more respectful.

"For the second goal I ran to the touchline and cupped my ears and looked up to the part of the ground where the United directors were sitting, and also to Ferguson in the dugout, because I wanted them to know this was my response to them saying I was not worth the money.

"People from United have been speaking about me publicly and criticising me but I wanted to do my talking on the pitch because that was the best way of responding to all these people, such as Neville, who were saying United were right to let me go."