River Plate star Julian Alvarez last night scored a hat-trick in the win over Patranato, and with only a few months left until he completes his move to Manchester City, the local media takes his performance as a message to Pep Guardiola.
Olé, the biggest sports newspaper in Argentina, features him on the front page, claiming the striker is of the ‘Premier’, then bringing another pun about the exhibition made by the ‘River Pep’.
“Pep Guardiola was not wrong to set his eyes on the Araña,” writes the newspaper, crediting the manager for being the first to move for the 22-year-old.
So that’s three goals for Julian Alvarez in only two games this year. That only confirms he’s keeping up with the great year he had in 2021, as even Boca Juniors vice-president Juan Roman Riquelme recently admitted the striker was the best in Argentine football last season.
Even though Manchester City confirmed the deal for Alvarez, it’s still not clear when the move will be confirmed. There’s a chance it could be done in the summer, although River Plate are expected to fight to keep him until December, and reports from Argentine believe Pep Guardiola only really needs him in the summer of 2023.
