Paul Merson has suggested that Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez is as proficient a finisher as Erling Haaland. Alvarez notably scored the decisive goal in City’s recent Premier League clash against Newcastle United.

As Manchester City prepares to face Sheffield United in their upcoming league match at Bramall Lane, Merson made a noteworthy claim about Alvarez in his Sportskeeda column, previewing the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

Merson remarked, “Julian Alvarez is an amazing goalscorer, and I’d say he’s up there with Erling Haaland when it comes to finishing. He will play more this season because Manchester City don’t have a choice, do they?”

During the previous season, the 23-year-old Argentine forward scored nine goals in 31 Premier League appearances. He registered a goals per shot rate of 0.17 and a goals per shot on target rate of 0.4.

In comparison, Haaland concluded the prior league campaign with a goals per shot rate of 0.25 and a goals per shot on target rate of 0.55.

These statistics suggest that Alvarez may not be as clinical as the prolific Norwegian Haaland, raising some doubt about Merson’s assertion that Alvarez is as good a finisher as Haaland.

Nonetheless, it is a positive note for Alvarez to receive recognition from Merson. The Argentine will be aiming to add more goals to his tally in the upcoming matches, potentially improving his overall performance.

In the broader context, if Alvarez indeed gets more playing time this season, as Merson suggested, he will likely strive to enhance his game further and contribute more goals to Manchester City’s campaign.