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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex Brotherton

Sergio Aguero and Joleon Lescott praise Julian Alvarez ahead of Man City debut

Former Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Joleon Lescott are expecting new signing Julian Alvarez to have a big impact at the club over the coming years.

Alvarez - who City signed from River Plate for around £14m in January but only joined up with City last week - could make his City debut when Pep Guardiola's side take on Club America on Thursday in the first of their two pre-season friendlies in the United States.

The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting young talents in the world, having scored an impressive 18 goals in 21 games in the 2021 Argentine league season. Comparisons between him and Aguero have been unavoidable, and both Lescott and Aguero thinks he has what it takes to be a success at City.

READ MORE: Meet the former scientist behind four giant Man City murals across Manchester

"He’s definitely got the quality [to perform in the Premier League],” the former City defender explained.

"I’ve seen little bits, but I’ve also spoken to Sergio [Aguero] about him briefly and he said he was a top talent. He was excited for him, which was good, so that’ll be a high expectation.

"Sergio said [Alvarez] will score goals. He can also excite fans, Sergio said possibly more than him, not in terms of scoring but in terms of the way he plays. He wants to dribble a little bit more than what Sergio did, who was more 'let me score' which was great for us but a different mindset."

Alvarez's arrival has been somewhat overshadowed by the £51m signing of Erling Haaland however, a truly elite striker who is expected to be Guardiola's main striker this season. The Argentine will likely take longer to acclimatize to the Premier League than Haaland, but he has all the traits to become a top attacker in a Guardiola team.

"I’m sure Julian has come in and wants to play and not just come to watch Erling Haaland score goals and perform.

"There’s an opportunity for him to play and I’m sure he’s going to back himself to do that and do well. I’m excited for him and hopefully he gets opportunities to score."

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