Julian Alvarez might not have clocked up many minutes so far in his fledgling Manchester City career, but in the game time he has been afforded he has done a lot.
Signed for £14m in January but loaned straight back to River Plate until July, there was a worry heading into the new season that Alvarez might be overshadowed by the arrival of a certain Erling Haaland. That the presence and aura of the £51m man would deny Alvarez the sunshine he needs to grow.
There was a possibility that City would extend his loan. But with a few minutes here and a few minutes there, Alvarez has set about allying those fears and hinting that he could become one of the bargain buys of the year.
READ MORE: Man City player ratings vs Crystal Palace as Erling Haaland smashes hat-trick
Without wishing to draw to close a comparison to City's all-time leading goal-scorer, there are many elements of Alvarez's game that are similar to that of Sergio Aguero. The 22-year-old Argentine is tenacious, hard-working, hungry and exciting - every time he collects the ball you get the feeling he could do anything, and if what he attempts doesn't come off, then he will give his all to try and win the ball back.
Alvarez has that rare ability of being able to change a game from the bench, something that will serve him well as long as Haaland is City's first-choice striker.
His introduction on Saturday changed the game, it taking just a minute after coming off the bench for him to help draw City level. The diminutive striker won a header he really ought not to have, setting up Phil Foden to cross and Haaland to score.
Alvarez offers something different to Haaland, less of a physical presence but greater ability on the ball. He's nimble, excellent at dropping off the front line and helping to build attacks. When Guardiola brought him on against Palace he deployed him in a hybrid left-wing / left-sided attacking midfielder role, constantly swapping with Foden and linking up well with Ilkay Gundogan.
Alvarez will not want to be a super-sub forever, and pretty soon he won't have to be. From now until the World Cup in November City will play every three or four days, Champions League group stage and Carabao Cup fixtures coming in-between league outings.
Guardiola has already said that Haaland will not start every game when the fixtures start to pile up, meaning Alvarez's share of minutes will increase. That's good for him but City fans too - he's a superb talent who deserved to be seen in more than brief cameos.
READ NEXT:
