Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has responded after forward Julián Álvarez has commented on his amount of playing time and potentially dropped a hint about his future at the Etihad.
Having just won his second Copa América with Argentina and now rolling straight into Paris 2024, Álvarez is still yet to return to training with the Man City first team, but the 24-year-old has opened up on what he hopes will happen when he returns to club football.
Speaking to American broadcaster DIRECTV Sports, the former River Plate striker admitted that whilst “there is a lot of talk”, his current focus is solely on the Olympics and that he feels “very good at City”, adding, “I played a lot of minutes”.
However, he did go on to confess that “maybe it’s annoying to be out in big games, players always want to help on the pitch”, adding, “But we will see after the Games. First, if I can, I will take a few days off. Then we will decide” – a remark that has sparked some speculation online.
🔵🇦🇷 More quotes from Álvarez’s interview from @clarincom.
“I feel good at City. We will see what happens after Olympics”.
“Maybe it's annoying to be out in big games, players always want to help on the pitch! But my season was good, so I'm very happy”.pic.twitter.com/FrEHkKrrqq
Not only did Álvarez get the transfer rumour mill churning – inadvertently or not – but it seems word travelled fast to his manager as well, as Pep addressed the situation whilst on City’s pre-season tour in the US.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to media ahead of the two games against Barcelona and Chelsea this week, Guardiola recognised that the attacking talent “wants to play in important moments, but the other players [want that] too […] I read he has to think about it, so OK, think about it and after that, he will inform us what he wants to do.”
Reiterating that has no desire to sell or replace him, he simply put the ball in the player’s court, stating: “Once he has finished thinking, his agent will call Txiki [Begiristain]”, Man City‘s sporting director, “and we will see what happens.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can see the clip from the press conference down below:
GUARDIOLA LE RESPONDIÓ A JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ: "LEÍ QUE VA A PENSARLO. QUE LO PIENSE" 😱
🗣️ El argentino manifestó que debe analizar si sigue en el City en la próxima temporada y Pep, desde Estados Unidos, le contestó
Whether this was just a hint towards the Catalan coach in hopes of getting the nod for those most important games or a suggestion that he might look for a move elsewhere if his position in the squad doesn’t change, only time will tell.
That being said, having now played his moments in a treble-winning season, won even more back-to-back major tournaments with the World Cup and Copa América, not to mention looking to bring home an Olympic gold to boot, it’s fair to say he has experience on the biggest stage even at such a young age.
ADVERTISEMENT
It isn’t the first time questions over his amount of playing time and deployment off the bench have been questioned with fellow compatriot and club legend Sergio Aguero even raising the issue last year, and now reports have suggested that Atlético Madrid have already expressed interest in signing him.
What do you think, Blues, does Álvarez deserve more minutes in the key fixtures and would you keep him in the City squad for as long as possible, or should Pep let him move on if he wants to?
Manchester City confirm fourth signing of the summer as spending spree continues
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially revealed their fourth signing of the summer window after confirming the transfer of top target Tijjani Reijnders.
The highly sought-after Serie A midfielder joins the club from AC Milan on a five-year contract for an initial fee of approximately £46.5 million, after having been tracked by a number of clubs across Europe over the past season or so.
Reijnders, 26, registered 15 goals and five assists from central midfielder last season (more than any other player in the league) with Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki stating that he models his game on Kevin De Bruyne, making him the perfect replacement for the Belgian – on paper, at least.
Finally unveiled on Wednesday, 11 June, he is arguably the statement signing of what looks to be a continued spending spree which began back in January.
With Man City splashing roughly £200m to kick off the 2025 calendar year as they brought the likes of Omar Marmoush and a trio of defensively geared players in Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and CDM Nico Gonzalez, it seems like they started as they mean to go on.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak assured fans that the club would be picking up “several players” in a recent interview after he argued they hadn’t been aggressive enough last summer, and given that the current main window hasn’t even been open for a fortnight yet, we’d say he’s sticking to that promise.
This year actually marks a rare instance of the transfer window being broken up into two parts due to the FIFA Club World Cup (which City are among the favourites to win) and will then re-open on 16 June.
Nevertheless, the Blues look to have got plenty of their business done already, not only with the arrival of Reijnders but the acquisition of left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri earlier this week, plus another attack-minded midfielder, Rayan Cherki.
The second player of Algerian descent and the second signing of the summer window was quickly announced by the Man City social media team just before the Dutchman.
Along with the signing of a new shotstopper, Marcus Betinelli from Chelsea – set to replace former reserve goalkeeper Scott Carson, who left the club after six seasons on Monday – that makes it four new incoming already.
Once again, not only do these latest additions to Pep Guardiola’s squad take their transfer total to over £300m on new talent in 2025, but there is still plenty of time for City to sign even more players with the summer window not closing until 7pm BST on 1 September.
Although the club have now acquired all of the players they have been most publicly linked with so far, it’s unclear whether their spending will continue or if the focus now turns to the Club World Cup getting underway this month and preparing the current squad for next season.
What do you make of Man City‘s latest recruits? Don’t forget, there have been some new arrivals in the backroom as well.
Wigan Warriors legend Billy Boston has become rugby league’s first knight
Danny Jones
The beloved Billy Boston, the definition of a Wigan Warriors legend, has been given the first knighthood in rugby league history.
A Welsh hero as well, the former professional was a pioneering force for black players in the UK during the mid-20th century, representing both Wigan and Great Britain, with over 500 competitive appearances, primarily as a winger.
Having scored an unprecedented total of 478 tries in 487 games for the Warriors (571 in his entire career), he remains not just one of their greatest icons but one of the most influential rugby league players of all time.
With that in mind, while it may have been long overdue, Boston was made a knight prior to the King’s birthday and before the honours list was even officially announced.
🎖️🏉 Today at Buckingham Palace, Sir Billy Boston became the first sportsman to receive a knighthood for services to Rugby League.
The King presented Sir Billy – who is considered one of the best Rugby League players of all time, scoring a British record of 571 tries and 488… pic.twitter.com/QD8jTR7jPS
Now 90 years old, an exception was made for the Cardiff-born ex-pro due to growing concerns over his health; moreover, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer dubbed it a “historic wrong that a sport which is the backbone of so many communities has waited so long to receive this honour.”
Since it’s taken a total of 130 years for someone from the discipline, we tend to agree.
Boston was sadly diagnosed with vascular dementia back in 2016 at the age of 82 – a disease that is being increasingly studied across rugby, given the contact sport’s strong connection to conditions like CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
Head coach and fellow record-breaker, Matt Peet, wrote in a statement via the club: “Not just for Billy or Wigan, but for rugby league to get its first knighthood is great news. He’s an iconic figure and name in our Club, and he’s certainly part of the team at Wigan.
“He has a huge presence, and he’s just a really warm character. I’d just describe him as a gentleman, very humble, always up for a laugh, and he’s been very supportive since we’ve been in position.”
130 years of discrimination is over as Billy Boston becomes the first rugby league player to be knighted.
A Black Welshman who became a legend in Wigan, Billy is a pioneer as well as one of the greatest players of all time.
— Mike Meehall Wood (@MikeMeehallWood) June 9, 2025
Echoing his sentiment, Wigan Warriors‘ chairman, Chris Brookes, said, “I am absolutely delighted and so happy that Billy – and rugby league – has finally received the ultimate recognition his stellar career deserves”, with club CEO Kris Radlinski going on to to add: “He’s a cultural icon in rugby league.”
Unsurprisingly, WRL (the nation’s official governing body) joined the flood of individuals and organisations in celebrating the groundbreaking sporting great, writing: “The boy from Tiger Bay who became a Knight. A very proud day for Billy, his family and Wales Rugby League.”
Congratulations to a local legend who paved the way for generations of future rugby stars.
It’s been a special few days for the Greater Manchester side as their women’s team also made some history of their own this past weekend.
Danny Jones -
30th July 2024 
