In a recent column in The Daily Mail, Chris Sutton revealed that Manchester City are not willing to loan Julian Alvarez out. Sutton said,
“Something tells me that Manchester City, having seen how selling Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko turned Arsenal into title contenders, will not loan them Argentina World Cup hero Julian Alvarez.”
Alvarez’s Brilliant Campaign In Both Club And International Football
Alvarez is experiencing an excellent campaign for both his club and country after enjoying a great 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament with Argentina. The 22-year-old recently helped his country win the World Cup in Qatar despite failing to earn regular first-team starts at the Etihad Stadium this season.
Still, the Argentina international deserves a pat on the back for scoring seven goals and grabbing two assists in 20 matches for the Mancunian outfit this season across all fronts. Alvarez has caught the eye in Europe as well based on his average of 1.7 shots and 1.2 key passes per game in the UEFA Champions League. He has even been decent when linking up play with others in the opponent’s half, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 84.9% in European football (stats via whoscored).
Manchester City Are Not Willing To Let Alvarez Go Out On Loan: Good Move By Pep Guardiola?
Alvarez excels at generating space for himself to get a few shots in on-target. He is a decent finisher in the final third and can also orchestrate some meaningful openings for his teammates up top. At the moment, the Argentina international is serving as an important member of Pep Guardiola’s match-day squad. He is primarily a centre-forward but can also play alongside someone up top or function as a right-sided wide player if his manager asks him to do so.
Alvarez has already scored a handful of crucial goals for Man City this season and seems to be getting better with each year. At 22, he has got a very promising future ahead of him at the Etihad Stadium as long as he continues to develop at such a high rate in the coming seasons.
Therefore, it seems like Guardiola has made the right call by deciding not to loan Alvarez out as he remains integral to his plans at the Manchester club. The Argentina talent is good enough to help Man City compete for some major trophies in the second half of this campaign. Furthermore, Alvarez has proven his worth as an ideal understudy to Erling Haaland at Man City.
