Manchester City midfielder Claudio Echeverri has made it to the Etihad and will train with his new teammates after their game at Spurs
Claudio Echeverri scored twice for Argentina in a rout of Brazil in the Under-20 South American Football Championships
Claudio Echeverri could make his Manchester City debut this weekend against Plymouth after finally touching down in Manchester.
The 19-year-old midfielder was signed from River Plate in January 2024 and allowed to stay there for the rest of the calendar year to develop. City decided to bring him to Manchester for the second half of the season, although his arrival was delayed after it was agreed that he could represent Argentina at the Under-20 South American Championships.
After starring for his country, Echeverri has made it to Manchester and will train with his new teammates on Thursday after their Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night. All being well, Echeverri will then be available for selection for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
City want to assess Echeverri’s level over the next few months as they weigh up what is the best path for him next season. There is a possibility that he could remain with Pep Guardiola and the first team squad, as Julian Alvarez did following his move in 2022, although the expectation is that he will head to Europe on loan next season.
That has been the route taken by midfielder Maximo Perrone, who was signed from Velez Sarsfeld and made one Premier League appearance off the bench in 2023 before heading for season-long loans at Las Palmas in La Liga and then Como in Serie A. Perrone played for City in pre-season last summer between loan moves, and Echeverri could be part of the group that heads for the Club World Cup in June with Guardiola keen to take some youngsters.