Ibrahimovic: Efrain Alvarez, 16-year-old Galaxy forward, is "ready"

CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes that 16-year-old Mexican striker Efrain Alvarez is poised to make an impact in MLS this season.

A native of Los Angeles, the juvenile international has not yet made his debut for the Galaxy, but was impressed for LA Galaxy II last season and won minutes with Guillermo Barros Schelotto in pre-season.

"Efra is only 16 years old," Ibrahimovic told reporters after a training session on Thursday. "I saw him last season, he's doing incredible things and I think in MLS he's the best 16-year-old player out there today, so I think everybody is excited, everyone is waiting for it to show itself, demonstrate who it is.

"He's young, but I do not like to say that he's young or old or anything, if he's ready, he's ready and I think he's ready ", continued the Swede.

Alvarez 's chances of playing early this season have increased with the announcement on Thursday that Norwegian striker Ola Kamara has signed up for the Chinese club from Shenzhen FC, although Galaxy' s general manager, Dennis Dennis Kloese, has already warned to be very absent with the Mexican national team.

Alvarez was born to Mexican parents in East Los Angeles and represented his country of birth internationally, but decided to move to the program of the Mexican National Youth Team in 2016.

"Something happened at my last training session with the United States," Alvarez told ESPN in September 2018. "My parents went crazy and all, and when I arrived at Mexico, they told me that if I wanted to go there, they would support me so I made the decision to come here [to Mexico] to see if I liked it, and when I came back I told them I wanted to stay. "