'Special' Alvarez reminds Guardiola of ex-Man City forward Gabriel Jesus

• Argentine forward catching the eye
• Looking to emulate fellow South Americans
• Involved in three goals versus Sevilla

WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues parted with a versatile Brazil international over the summer, with Jesus deciding to head for Arsenal after winning four Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium. That deal was done as City brought in Alvarez and Erling Haaland, with an exciting Argentina international making a positive impression early on in English football as he seeks to emulate the efforts of fellow South Americans that have gone before him.

WHAT THEY SAID: Guardiola has told BT Sport of Alvarez after seeing him provide cover for the injured Haaland in Premier League and Champions League games against Leicester and Sevilla: "He’s a special guy, with his work ethic. He reminds me a bit of Gabriel, how aggressive without the ball. He’s played Leicester and today and not easy to find space, he got the reward he deserved.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Alvarez’s latest outing for City saw him find the target in a 3-1 victory over Sevilla, while also teeing up efforts for 17-year-old Rico Lewis and Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? Aged 22 years and 275 days, Alvarez is the youngest Argentine to be directly involved in three goals in a single Champions League match since Lionel Messi vs Bayern Munich in April 2009, also under Guardiola (21 years 288 days).

WHAT NEXT? While Alvarez has been catching the eye, he has some way to go if he is to match the achievements of Jesus – who hit 95 goals for City through 236 appearances.