Alzate received his first call-up to the under-23 squad for two friendlies against Peru last month before a minor injury forced him to withdraw, which has further fuelled the 21-year-old’s desire to don the famous yellow shirt.
He said, “I’ve been called up to the Colombia under-23s, and I want to play for them. There’s another training camp next month, and I want to be there. We’re playing against Japan, and I am looking forward to that.
“I was born in London, but my family is Colombian. I feel more Colombian than English, and you can’t turn that down that sort of chance.”
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The recent Colombia call-up sums up a rapid rise for the midfielder, who made his Albion first-team debut against Newcastle United in September, and he expressed his gratitude to Graham Potter for giving him a chance to impress.
“You can see from his time at previous clubs that this manager likes to bring in youth players. There are a lot of young players out there, and it’s about giving them opportunities.
“For my debut against Newcastle, I only found out on the day that I was going to play. I knew I was going to be involved with the team, but I didn’t expect to start.
“When I found out I was starting, I had to be ready for it. I had been training with the first team since pre-season, so I was waiting for the opportunity, which I didn’t expect to come so soon.
“My heart just started beating. The manager didn’t mention anything to me until a couple of hours before the game, so it came as a surprise, but I was ready and took my chance.”