Pep Guardiola says Julian Alvarez is ‘almost undroppable’ after Manchester City came from behind to beat West Ham on Saturday.
James Ward-Prowse put David Moyes’ side in front in the first half before Jeremy Doku equalised with his first goal for the club since his £55.5 million move from Rennes in the summer transfer window.
Alvarez then provided a sublime scooped pass for Bernardo Silva, who handed City the lead before Erling Haaland struck to secure a 3-1 win for the Premier League champions.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola praised Alvarez for stepping up in Kevin de Bruyne’s absence.
‘We had doubts because he came from Bolivia with the jet lag, he was so tired the day before yesterday,’ said Guardiola.
‘He felt better and we spoke with him last night and he said he felt good.
‘He’s learning a lot how to move in the pockets, he’s a threat with goals and assists, the work ethic. We are delighted that the club brought him last year.
‘[Ilkay] Gundo left and unfortunately with the injury to Kevin [De Bruyne] he has his chance and he is using it. Now he is almost undroppable.’
Guardiola also hailed the ‘incredible’ performance of Doku, who struggled to make an impact in the 5-1 win over Fulham before the international break.
‘I was in Barcelona, I had the feeling that he played a little bit shy [against Fulham],’ Guardiola said.
‘He’d just arrived, had two or three days training, with a team that won the treble. Maybe he was a little bit in this way.
‘But today, no. [I told him] use your quality as a winger. One against one, one against two, go. If you don’t have the feeling, pass back to Josko [Gvardiol] and play again.
‘Today was from the first minute incredible, aggressive, great determination, arrived many times to the byline. Many, may good things he’s done. Really, really pleased. We thought the quality was there and today he started to prove it.
‘When you buy a young player like him for many years [contract], we have to be patient. We cannot expect, I didn’t expect the second game for City to play like he did today. The way he played today, I don’t remember from a long time ago something like that.
‘There are processes that he has to learn. Always we are there to help him. At Manchester City, every player has to be [himself]. All the players here have a lot of quality.’
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