Pep Guardiola could hand new signing Claudio Echeverri his Manchester City debut as early as this weekend, according to reports.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder was signed by the Citizens for a reported £12.5m from River Plate in January 2024, but he was allowed to stay in his native Argentina on loan for the rest of the calendar year.
Echeverri, who has been dubbed the 'next Lionel Messi' by Argentine journalists and pundits, has now bid farewell to River Plate, where he established himself as one of the brightest prospects in South America.
The highly-rated youngster chipped in with four goals and eight assists across 48 senior appearances for River Plate, winning the Argentine Primera Division, Trofeo de Campeones and Supercopa Argentina in 2023.
Echeverri initially rose to prominence in his homeland during the 2023 Under-17 South American Championship, recording five goals and three assists in eight games for Argentina, before scoring another five goals and winning the Bronze Boot at the Under-17s FIFA World Cup.
The teenager played his final match for River Plate on December 15, and it was agreed with Man City for him to represent Argentina at the Under-20 South American Championship earlier this year.
Argentine went on to finish second, losing out to champions Brazil, but Echeverri was a standout performer for his country, scoring six goals - the second-most in the tournament - and providing three assists across nine matches, seven of which he wore the captain's armband.
© Imago
Echeverri to make Man City debut vs. Plymouth in FA Cup?
Echeverri has now turned his focus to Man City and after landing in Manchester on Monday, the attacker is set to link up with Pep Guardiola's squad in first-team training this week.
According to the Daily Mail, Echeverri is not expected to be involved in Man City's squad in the build-up to Wednesday night's Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
However, the youngster is set to begin training with his new Citizens teammates on Thursday and will be available to make his debut for the club in Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round clash against Plymouth Argyle at the Etihad Stadium.
He will follow a similar path to Julian Alvarez - now at Atletico Madrid - who also swapped River Plate for Man City in January 2022, spending an initial six months on loan with the Argentine side before linking up with the Citizens for the 2022-23 campaign and enjoying a two-year spell at the Etihad.
Echeverri is yet to be given a squad number by Man City, at the time of writing, and even if he does make his debut against Plymouth, it remains unknown as to how regularly he will feature under Guardiola during the final few months of the season.
The FA Cup represents Man City's only opportunity of lifting silverware this season, as they have already been knocked out of both the EFL Cup and Champions League, while they currently sit 20 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after losing 2-0 to the Reds last weekend.
Oliver Thomas
