Edson Alvarez left Ajax to replace Declan Rice at West Ham United last summer, and his first season in east London was very successful. So much so that he’s now being linked with another move, this time to Manchester United.
According to reports, Old Trafford see Alvarez as a potential replacement for Casemiro, who looks likely to depart MUFC this summer.
The 26-year-old midfielder will captain the Mexico national team tomorrow night in Houston, where it will definitely feel like a home game for them in their Copa America opener against Jamaica.
When asked about his club future/the MUFC links, he first gave the industry standard boilerplate kind of response, but then he left the door slightly ajar to something.
Maybe.
“I can only tell you that I’m focused on what I have to do. I know that the Copa América is a very important tournament where the eyes of the world are basically here,” Alvarez told reporters.
“Later there will be time to see what there is or what there isn’t.”
A lot of this depends on whether or not Casemiro will make his move to Saudi Arabia. So we’ll see what happens there. There is debate out there to how much of this transfer saga is smoke, and how much is fire.
And given how stellar Alvarez was last year in East London, they may not want to sell him. Or if they do, it would be at a high price.
Alvarez lead a Mexico side this weekend that is actually very heavily in transition.
El Tri has a lot to prove in this tournament, with new leadership at many levels of the program.
“I really want this to start, [so] tomorrow I can go out with the captain’s armband, listen to the Mexican national anthem in front of all the people,” Alvarez continued.
“It’s something I think about and get goosebumps.”
Alvarez is right- the atmosphere for Mexico games in big American cities where there is a large Mexican population is always electric.
And Himno Nacional Mexicano is one of the best national anthems there is.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.