- Alvarez appeared to suggest he would consider his Man City future this summer
- Guardiola offered a blunt response during the club’s pre-season tour in the US
- The Argentine forward has insisted he is happy at the Premier League champions
Julian Alvarez has insisted he did not say ‘anything bad’ after Pep Guardiola offered a blunt response when asked about his comments on his Manchester City future.
Alvarez is currently at the Olympic Games in Paris with Argentina, with the forward completing a busy summer after winning the Copa America earlier this month.
The 24-year-old appeared to suggest he would consider his Man City future after the Olympics, after expressing frustration at missing out on starting for the club in finals
Alvarez played the fifth-most minutes of any City star last season but has not started any of five major finals during his two years at the club.
Despite scoring 36 goals in two seasons, the Argentinian often has to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland up front or settle for a deeper role.
Julian Alvarez has insisted he is happy at Man City following Pep Guardiola’s comments
Guardiola had offered a blunt response to Alvarez’s complaints about missing out on finals
‘Last season, I was one of the players with the most minutes at City. But… in the end, you don’t like being left out of important matches; you want to contribute,’ Alvarez said.
‘I’ll take my time to think about what I want for myself. We will see after the Games. First, if I can, I will take a few days off. Then we will decide.’
Guardiola had been asked about Alvarez’s comments during Man City’s pre-season tour in the United States, with the Man City boss offering a blunt response.
‘I don’t think about replacing. I knew he said he will think about it,’ he said.
‘Once he has finished thinking, his agent will call Txiki [Begiristain] and we will see what happens.
‘I know he wants to play important moments, yeah. ‘But the other ones [do] too. 18, 19 players as well want to play the big games.
‘I read he wants to think about it. Okay, think about it and after that he will inform us what he wants to do.’
When asked about Guardiola’s reply, Alvarez insisted he had not spoken out of turn regarding his situation at the club.
The forward said he is still happy at Man City, stressing he analyses his situation after every season.
‘I heard what Guardiola said. I don’t have much to say about it,’ Alvarez said, as reported by TyC Sports.
The 24-year-old forward is currently representing Argentina at the Olympic Games in Paris
‘I never said anything bad.
‘I just said that I was going to think about it like I do every season to make an analysis of what happened last season, a projection of what may come.
‘I always say that I am comfortable and happy at City, which is a great club. So I didn’t say anything bad.’
City signed Alvarez from River Plate in January 2022 for £14million but loaned him back for half a season.
His first campaign at Man City saw him be their second-top scorer despite starting less than half of their games, and he scored a pivotal goal against Chelsea in the penultimate match as they chased the title.
Last year he signed a lucrative new contract worth around £100,000 and that only expires in 2028.
The 24-year-old has won the 2022 World Cup and Copa America with Argentina, as well as the Champions League, FA Cup and two Premier League titles with Man City.
