Edson Alvarez has been pictured in first-team training at West Ham United, in images from Scott Parker’s first session on the grass published on the club’s official website on Friday.
As West Ham Zone reported, one of the images shows Alvarez taking part in the session, with another showing Maxwel Cornet alongside Parker.
Parker had not taken a training session before his first match in charge on Wednesday, when he brought Soungoutou Magassa straight back into the team at Cardiff City.
West Ham drew 3-3 in Wales after trailing by three goals at half time. Alvarez did not travel with the squad.
Alvarez was pictured smiling during the session, in images shared on X.
The club also shared photographs of Parker at work at Rush Green on Instagram this week.
Frozen Out Under Nuno
The picture marks a sharp change from life under Nuno Espirito Santo. In October, Claret & Hugh reported that Alvarez, Magassa and Cornet took part only in the fitness work of senior training at Rush Green.
When the work turned tactical, the three left the main group and trained with the club’s Under-21s. One insider told the site that Alvarez was “not really part of the group”.
His season amounts to 75 competitive minutes, all of them in the Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth in August. He has not been named in a Championship matchday squad since the campaign began.
Nuno was sacked on Tuesday. Hammers News reported that his refusal to reintegrate the three outcasts was a factor in the decision, and that captain Jarrod Bowen was among those who had argued their case.
What It Means for Mexico
The timing underlines how far Alvarez had fallen. On Thursday, Mexico confirmed the official squad for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Jamaica, and Alvarez was not in it.
That omission follows directly from his club season. International coaches pick players in rhythm, and a midfielder with 75 minutes since August cannot make that case, whatever his history with the national team.
Alvarez has been a fixture of Mexico squads for years and played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Players with his experience are not usually left at home when they are fit and playing.
The Jamaica quarterfinals, on November 14 in Kingston and November 17 in Monterrey, come too soon for him. But the road back is clear, and it runs through the Championship.
If Parker gives him minutes through the winter, Alvarez returns to contention for Mexico’s next camps and for the Gold Cup next summer. If he stays frozen out, a January move becomes the only route to the playing time his international career now depends on.
What Happens Next
There is a football need at West Ham as well as a personal one. Hammers News reported that club insiders believed Alvarez and Magassa could address the side’s lack of balance in central midfield.
A January exit had come to look inevitable for Alvarez. Claret & Hugh reported that West Ham rejected a Mexican offer worth around 2.5 million euros up front in the summer, while valuing the midfielder at about 15 million pounds.
A training photograph guarantees nothing, and West Ham Zone noted that it does not necessarily mean Alvarez will feature at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
But Parker’s squad for the weekend is now a genuine test. If Alvarez is named at Ewood Park, the picture will have meant a way back.
