Shanghai Shenhua chairman Wu Xiaohui have reportedly knocked back suggestions that Carlos Tevez has been excluded from first-team duties.

However, the club chief has challenged the Argentine to show the real stuff following his slow start to his Chinese Super League career.

Wu said: "Quite the contrary, head coach Wu Jingui and team leader Mao Yijun have shown great concern for him and the communication between them is very smooth. We are not making excuses for Tevez, the club just want to clarify that he hasn't abandoned himself like some foreign media have claimed. He should have realised that he will not be picked in the starting line-up purely on reputation. We have five healthy foreign players -- if he wants to be one of the three who are eligible to play, he's got to show the real stuff."

Tevez has managed just three goals in 13 appearances for the Far East outfit, and this has not helped the club's cause as they linger in the bottom half of the table in 11th place. The former Manchester City man has been left of Shenhua's recent league outings, but club spokesperson Ma Yue has refuted reports that Argentina which suggest that he has refused to play for the reserve team.

The veteran has generated plenty of controversies during his short time in China, and he recently took a swipe at the Chinese footballers stating that there are still 50 years behind from competing with the top players in and around Europe.

Tevez has repeatedly iterated his intention to return to Boca Juniors, but a move may not happen during the New Year with the Argentine outfit still awaiting the full payment for the striker's transfer. The 33-year-old has not represented Argentina since 2015, and he may have probably played his final game due to his lack of exposure to regular first-team football.