Guardiola praises Alvarez as ‘unbelievable’ on Haaland’s return

Manager Josep Guardiola said Julián Alvarez, who scored twice in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Burnley, is already one of the best players in the world.

Alvarez hit a first-half double at the Etihad Stadium to take his tally to 15 this season, two shy of the number he scored last season.

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The forward, who turned 24 on Wednesday, has won a Premier League title, Champions League and World Cup in his short career, and Guardiola believes he has already established himself as one of the world’s best players. I believe that

“He’s unbelievable, considering his age, his numbers in the Premier League and what he brings to the team,” Guardiola said.

“He’s a world champion to play with.” [Leo] messi, [Ángel] Di Maria and Enzo Fernandes. If you’re not good at it, you can’t play on that team. He can play in three different positions and has a good feel for running intensity. he’s really good. ”

Alvarez’s contribution was one of many positives for Guardiola, who was able to hand Kevin De Bruyne his first start since the start of the season.

Winning the game in the second half also allowed City to bring on Erling Haaland for the first time in two months after suffering a foot injury.

“If it had been 7-0 at half-time, he could have played more minutes,” Guardiola said.

“If it was 0-0, he probably wouldn’t have played a minute. I saw how sharp he was and felt he was there.”

“He didn’t have any clear chances, but when Jeremy had control he had three or four chances.” [Doku] I haven’t seen him, but with his quality I think he can score.

“It’s been really good without him the last two months, but we’re a better team with him and we’re really happy to have him back.”