After beating Chelsea 4-2 in convincing fashion, Manchester City capped off their pre-season tour of the United States on a high.
Despite defeats to Celtic, AC Milan and Barcelona, City would have every right to enter their FA Community Shield clash against Manchester United brimming with confidence after demolishing Enzo Maresca’s side.
Pep Guardiola would perhaps also have every right to be satisfied with his team’s preparation ahead of the 2024/2025 season.
The Sky Blues have now faced four top teams — who put them to the test from both mental and physical standpoints.
Unlike during several pre-season tours when teams of Manchester City’s stature simply roll teams over, they were pushed to the brink.
One player who was uninvolved in City’s pre-season tour was Julian Alvarez — due to participating in Argentina’s run to the quarter-final at the 2024 Paris Olympics until they were beaten 1-0 by France.
Pep Guardiola recently confirmed that Alvarez will be handed a break after a summer of taking part in both the Copa America and the Olympics.
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However, as per recent speculation, it could be a possibility that the £100,000-a-week man — described as “amazing” by Erling Haaland via the club’s official website — made his final appearance for the English giants in their 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur last season.
Journalist Gaston Edul has reported that Alvarez looks “very likely” to depart the Etihad Stadium. Edul added that Atletico Madrid have made a £51 million offer to sign the Argentine and are advanced in their negotiations while Paris Saint-Germain are also believed to have presented a formal offer.
On Saturday, it was claimed that PSG boss Luis Enrique has approved the Manchester City striker as a viable signing for his side.
Atletico Madrid are believed to feel confident they will sign the World Cup winner.
As per a report by TuttoJuve, it has been claimed that Juventus are also looking to sign Alvarez from Manchester City this summer.
Julian Alvarez could be fearful of the competition at Man City next season
With Erling Haaland having scored four goals in pre-season while the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden will return from their extended breaks sooner rather than later, Alvarez could fear he will struggle to get regular playing time next season.
Since early June, Fabrizio Romano reported that the two-time Premier League winner is desperate for more playing time at City. Alvarez confirmed his desire to especially play in big games.
While Alvarez started in 31 games in the Premier League last season, he could have a realistic view on his status within the squad as well as the quality of some of his teammates.
With De Bruyne and Foden being arguably two of the best attacking midfielders in the world and Haaland perhaps being the most feared striker in the world, the Calchin-born forward could be anticipating being a mere squad player in the following campaign; which would be far from ideal for a player of his ilk.
