Julian Alvarez was not expected to play for Manchester City against Everton, but he might suddenly come off the bench.
Julian Alvarez trained with Manchester City on Friday ahead of their Premier League game with Everton after returning earlier than expected from Argentina.
Alvarez had been given time off to celebrate after his role in their World Cup victory in Qatar less than a fortnight ago. The young forward was set to return in the New Year, with Pep Guardiola giving that timescale in his pre-match press conference.
However, Alvarez then trained with the group later that afternoon after returning to Manchester earlier than planned. That will boost Guardiola’s plans for the matches against Chelsea next week, and Alvarez could even be included in the Everton match on Saturday.
Also read: Erling Haaland gives Man City fitness update after Guardiola caution
Alvarez was fast-tracked to Manchester in the summer to spend the season with City having been signed for them in the January transfer window but kept at River Plate to further develop. While the 22-year-old has played second fiddle to Erling Haaland spearheading the City team with the Norwegian already up to 26 goals in all competitions, Alvarez is still the club’s third top scorer with seven goals and is averaging one every 128 minutes.
This weekend, City will try to put some pressure on Arsenal in an effort to get closer to the league-leading team. The lead might narrow to only two points before Mikel Arteta’s team kicks off since Guardiola’s team plays Everton on Saturday, hours before the Gunners travel to Brighton.
At Elland Road, the Blues defeated Leeds 3-1 to start their league campaign. After Rodri’s first goal, Haaland scored twice before the visitors gave up a consolation.
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