Pep Guardiola and Man City fans are worried ahead of the next season after news about one of their key players.
Pep Guardiola looks worried and covers his mouth with his hand; a mystery player has the Manchester City badge on him. (Source: Getty Images)
The 2023/2024 season concluded for Manchester City this past weekend after suffering a 2-1 loss against Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. The season was a success as they won the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Premier League title for the fourth time in a row. As the new season commences in a couple of months, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City suffer some bad news. Journalist Hernan Castillo reports that Julian Alvarez will be at the Olympic Games, and Manchester City has confirmed it with AFA. The Manchester City striker will have a very busy summer as he is also called up for the Copa America 2024. This results in Alvarez missing the preseason with Manchester City and could potentially miss the start of the 2024/2025 season. Man City’s first game of the season will be the Community Shield Final against Manchester United in August.
Alvarez won’t be the only senior player to play in the Summer Olympics with the U23 Argentina team in Paris. Nicolas Otamendi is also going to be at the Olympic Games this summer; Benfica has confirmed it to AFA. The Argentina U23 team will need one last senior player to complete the squad for the summer. The Summer Olympics football tournament will run from July 24th till August 10th.
The concern is the amount of playing time he will be playing during the summer and the lack of rest he will get. Alvarez is the second main striker in the Man City squad. Argentina is the favorite of the Copa America 2024, and they will play in Group A, where they will take on Canada, Chile, and Peru.
Julian Alvarez’s Road to Copa America and the Summer Olympics
Julian Alvarez could be extremely tired after this summer if he is very successful in the Copa America and the Summer Olympics. First, he will play in the friendly matches against Ecuador and Guatemala on June 9th and June 14th, respectively. June 20th is the first game of the Copa America against Canada. Chile is the second opponent on June 25th, and then their final group stage match is against Chile on June 29th. The tournament ends on July 15th. If he plays the final, he will have nine days to prepare for the first match of the Summer Olympics tournament against Morrocco.