Alzate staying grounded after Colombian call-up

Colombia have handed Brighton starlet Steven Alzate a full international call-up after his impact since bursting onto the Premier League scene. Alzate, who is from London and born to Colombian parents, was called-up for the South American country’s Under-23-squad last month, but withdrew from the party because of a “minor injury”.
The 21-year-old will now get a chance to impress manager Carlos Queiroz at first hand in two friendlies against Peru on November 15 and Ecuador on November 19, to be played in Miami and New Jersey.
The ex-Manchester United assistant boss wants to take a closer look at Alzate – although he could yet drop down into the pre-Olympic squad when Queiroz trims his initial 34-man selection down to 23. “It does feel a bit like a dream with making my Premier League debut a few months ago and now getting this call-up, but it’s fantastic for me,” said Alzate on receipt of the good news from Bogota. “Things are happening quickly for me at the moment, probably quicker than I expected to be honest, but it’s about staying level-headed and grounded.”
It’s hard to determine whether Alzate deserves international recognition so soon after making his Premier League bow against Newcastle in September, but he was named Man of the Match.
The winger then followed that performance up with another assured display against Chelsea –  where he was arguably Brighton’s best player in the team’s worst display of the season.
Seeing him start on the bench against Aston Villa surprised many after his excellent display in the 3-0 win over Tottenham before the international break, but the slight injury could have played into Graham Potter’s thinking.
But he was restored to the starting line-up against Everton last weekend and responded with some impressive numbers concerning ball recoveries, attacking third passes and take-ons.