David Moyes has absolutely raved about West Ham star Edson Alvarez but he’s a possible doubt for Man City.
West Ham face the ever daunting task of trying to get a positive result against Man City when the champions visit the London Stadium on Saturday.
It is a clash of the European champions when the returning Pep Guardiola brings Manchester City to face the Hammers who, like them, are unbeaten in the Premier League thus far.
West Ham have already proved themselves to be one of the form teams so far this season.
And the Hammers can actually go above Man City and top the fledgling Premier League table with a win.
West Ham have impressed pundits and fans alike with their summer transfer window business.
David Moyes absolutely raves about West Ham star Edson Alvarez but he’s a possible doubt for Man City
Mohammed Kudus, Konstantinos Mavropanos, James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez arrived for a combined total of around £122m.
But one of them in particular has seriously impressed West Ham’s manager so far.
Moyes has absolutely raved about West Ham star Alvarez but he’s a possible doubt for Man City.
Speaking in an interview with The Evening Standard, Moyes singled out the Mexican destroyer, known as El Machin – The Machine – for praise.
The Scot highlighted Alvarez as a key figure in his life after Dec Hammers rebuild.
‘Edson is a prime example’
“We’re building something new,” Moyes said.
“We lost Declan Rice, our talismanic midfielder, but we’ve brought new players in and they have settled quickly.
“Edson Alvarez is a prime example. He went straight into the team after his move from Ajax and then looked as though he had been here for a long time.”
Top players are usually rewarded with the ultimate honour of representing their country.
And that is the case with Alvarez, who played for Mexico in draws against Australia and Uzbekistan over the international break.
Delayed return from 10,000 mile round-trip and lack of training in vital team shape puts Alvarez start in doubt
The problem is a delayed return to training for Alvarez ahead of the Man City match coupled with the usual after effects of a 10,000-mile round-trip from London to the US – where both fixtures were played.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of facing Manchester City, Moyes once again picked out Alvarez, but this time to question whether he will be able to select him for the game.
“Some of them have picked up little bits of knocks,” Moyes told the press.
“Edson Alvarez had a delayed flight and returned home at 3 o’clock yesterday. It’s part and parcel of international breaks.
“(But) we’re hoping that we have everybody fit and available.”
The issue here is not just whether Alvarez is fit and fresh enough to play against the best team on the planet.
Team shape, organisation and every player knowing their job and which players they are picking up is more imperative against Man City than perhaps any other side.
Moyes will have been working on that all week with the majority of his starting XI.
Should Alvarez not be deemed ready to start against the best team on the planet, then Tomas Soucek has sent a strong message to Moyes in training this week.