Diego Simeone has hit back at criticism of Julian Alvarez over his current run of form for Atletico Madrid.
Alvarez is in his second season with Atletico following his £81.8 million move from Manchester City in 2024.
The 25-year-old, who won two Premier League titles as well as the Champions League with City, impressed in his first campaign with Atletico, scoring 29 goals in 57 games.
So far this season, Alvarez has scored 11 goals in 28 appearances but in his last 10 appearances he has found the net only once.
Atletico are currently eight points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and questions have been raised over whether Alvarez should keep his place in Simeone’s team.
When asked why he or Atletico supporters should believe in Alvarez, Simeone replied: ‘Seriously? Are you seriously asking me that?
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‘The truth is that Julian Alvarez speaks for himself, because of the name he has, the authority he carries, and the career he’s built, right?’
Atletico at home to relegation-threatened Mallorca in their next La Liga match on Sunday.
Arsenal’s transfer approach for Alvarez
Arsenal have been the latest club linked with a move for Alvarez in the summer transfer window.
On Friday, ESPN reported that Arsenal have made ‘informal enquiries’ about Alvarez ahead of a potential move at the end of the season.
Alvarez has €500m (£433m) release clause in his deal with Atletico and the Spanish club would only entertain offers over €100m (£86.6m) for the Argentine World Cup winner.
Chelsea and Barcelona have also expressed an interest in signing Alvarez from Atletico.
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