Man City wonderkid opens up on friendship with £57m Man Utd rival

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Manchester City attacker Julian Alvarez has opened up on his relationship with Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez, with the pair forming a friendship on international duty with Argentina.

Speaking to City’s official website, the South American wonderkid revealed that he and the former Ajax star travelled back to Manchester together following the most recent international break. Alvarez and Martinez are both expected to travel to Qatar this November for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Argentine duo both arrived in England this summer, with Martinez’s move to United, in particular, drawing quite the commotion as the Red Devils’ paid close to £57m for the centre-back according to Sky Sports News, with concerns about the defender’s height becoming a real talking point in the media.

Despite this, Erik Ten Hag’s biggest defensive signing from the most recent summer is largely working out, with Martinez and Raphael Varane forming quite the partnership at the base of the system. As for Alvarez, the Argentine youngster is also impressing for his new club.

Whilst minutes have been hard to come by, largely due to one Erling Haaland, Alvarez has shone when given the chance for Pep Guardiola. Yet ahead of the Manchester derby, the 21-year-old attacker has since come clean about his friendship with United defender Martinez.

Alvarez said about his Manchester rival: “We travelled together on the return to Manchester [from international duty with Argentina]. We were talking and making some jokes about the game on Sunday, but hey, we’re always wishing each other the best and to have a great game.”

Lisandro Martinez could play huge role in stopping City against United

City will head into today’s Manchester derby with the intention of laying down the gauntlet that they’re still the best club in the city. Yet for Alvarez’s new mate Martinez, the defender could play a big role in the outcome of this fixture if the Argentine is at his recent best.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has quickly adapted to Ten Hag’s Untied system, and the defender could cause problems for the likes of Haaland and Phil Foden if the occasion gets to City’s young and exciting forward line, with Alvarez likely to feature at some point during this fixture.