Carlos Tevez played his first 45 minutes of football for Manchester City since ending his self-imposed exile from the Premier League leaders’ when he ap-peared in a reserve match yester-day.

The Argentina striker had a run-out in the first half of the Man. City elite development squad’s home defeat by Preston reserves at Carrington.

The fixture was originally scheduled for today but Manchester City moved it to their training ground yesterday and played the match behind closed doors in a bid to reduce what would otherwise have been a large media contingent.

According to a Manchester City statement, quoted by the BBC, Tevez “saw plenty of action without getting a goal chance in his first 45 minutes back”.

In his absence, the City side lost 3-1 to Preston’s second string.

Tevez may have scored 52 goals in 91 appearances for Manchester City but he is by no means certain to regain a place in a side where strikers Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli, have scored 52 goals between them in all competitions this term.