You could be forgiven for forgetting the existence of Erling Haaland over the past month, particularly after the form of his Manchester City teammate Julian Alvarez at the 2022 World Cup.
Alvarez netted twice in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Croatia to take his tally in Qatar to four and showcase to City what he can do on the biggest stage, with the domestic season set to resume imminently.
There is the small matter of the World Cup final for Alvarez first but the 22-year-old has continued to blossom since arriving at City in the summer and he will head back to Manchester hoping to be given a greater role under Pep Guardiola in the second half of the season.
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In any other team in world football, Alvarez would likely be an undisputed starter but the forward has the unenviable task of competing with Haaland for minutes up front at the Etihad.
Haaland, to refresh everyone’s memory, has scored 23 goals in 18 games for City this season but the Norwegian could still find his position under threat following the continued emergence of Alvarez.
It begs the question whether the two can co-exist at City, with Alvarez likely to be less content with a bench role after his World Cup exploits, having made nine of his 12 Premier League appearances as a substitute.
Guardiola will now have a headache on his hands in trying to fit both stars into his team or risk potentially losing one in the future.
This City ain’t big enough for the both of us!
While Alvarez is perhaps being spoken of as an emerging prospect, it speaks to the pedigree of Haaland that the Argentine is actually six months older than his City teammate.
That is largely the difficult situation Alvarez finds himself in, having to compete with a generational talent despite showcasing the potential to feasibly be one himself.
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Fortunately for Guardiola and City, Alvarez has spent a significant portion of his career playing on the right wing, meaning he could feature in the same team as Haaland, although having played his best football as a striker, it begs the question of how long he would be satisfied with such a role.
Question marks will naturally occur over the future of both players and, while City would not be keen to part ways with either, they may not have much say in Haaland’s pathway.
The ex-Dortmund man is believed to have a £200 million release clause in his contract from 2024, something which Real Madrid are thought to be seriously considering activating.
Alvarez, meanwhile, was a bargain buy at just €21.4m and the former River Plate talent is now valued at €42m according to FootballTransfers – a tremendous rise but significantly less than the fee Haaland would command.
City may have a decision to make but the club will feel somewhat comfortable knowing that, if Haaland does end up eventually leaving, they have a ready-made replacement on their books who is up to the task of filling the striker’s giant boots.