Pep Guardiola issues spiky response to Julian Alvarez following game time and transfer comments

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a spiky response towards Julian Alvarez this week, after the Argentine broke his silence on his Etihad Stadium future.

The 24-year-old has been speaking this week whilst away on international duty with Argentina’s under-23 squad at the Olympic Games in Paris, following on from his exploits with the senior squad in their Copa America success earlier this summer.

With his Manchester City future being consistently reported on throughout the ongoing summer market, Alvarez has had little to no opportunity to directly address the claims surrounding a potential desire to leave the Etihad Stadium.

However, this week La Araña has admitted that he will think about where his future best lies when he is finished competing with Argentina in the French capital, citing a lack of game time in ‘important matches’ for Pep Guardiola’s side as a reason for the weighing up of options.

“Last season, I was one of the players with the most minutes on the team. But it’s true; in the end, you don’t like being left out of important matches, you want to contribute,” Julian Alvarez admitted in France.

Now, taking the opportunity to speak to reporters in the US on Monday, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on Alvarez’s comments, issuing what many are perceiving to be a largely spiky response to the player.

“I don’t think about replacing (him), but I knew that he said that he’s going to think about it,” said Guardiola. “When he finishes to think about it, his agent is going to call Txiki (Begiristain), and we’re going to see what happens.”

He continued, “I know he wants to play in important moments, yeah, but the other ones too. We have 18, 19 players as well that want to play in important games. I read that he has to think about it, OK, think about it. And after that, he will inform us what he wants to do.”

Asked directly about Alvarez’s point on playing more matches for Manchester City, despite registering some of the most minutes in the club’s first-team picture, the Catalan coach responded, “Yeah, he played a lot.

“If he wants more, it’s fine. That’s why; think about it. And when he has think about it, he will inform us.”

Atletico Madrid are widely understood to be the most serious candidate in the race to sign Julian Alvarez this summer, with the La Liga giants on the search for a new frontman to lead the club next season.

However, with Manchester City demanding a substantial return on their investment made in 2022, there could be problems for the side from the Spanish capital, despite recent reports of a cash influx into the Metropolitano.

Etihad bosses are eyeing an initial transfer fee of €70 million for Julian Alvarez this summer, as well as performance related bonuses and add-ons amounting to a further €20 million, whilst there remains a possibility that buy-back or sell-on clauses could also be negotiated.