Manchester City fans are already looking forward to January, because the squad could well gain a number of new faces.
Manchester City lost for the first time in the Premier League on Saturday against Bournemouth.
It was, for some, a result that had been coming. City had not been particularly great against Fulham, Wolves or Southampton, despite winning all of those games.
Just at the moment, something is off.
The injuries are mounting up, and it’s clear the team are still very much adapting without Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne.
Fans feel the club could make some additions in January, but we already know that one player will definitely be joining the squad.
And that man is Claudio Echeverri, who was in fine fettle for River Plate yesterday.
Man City gem Claudio Echeverri dazzles in 3-1 win for River Plate
Manchester City completed a deal for Claudio Echeverri back in January of this year.
City spent around £12.5 million to sign the Argentine gem, but the decision was made to keep him on loan at River Plate for the time being.
It was confirmed that Echeverri will be joining up with the City squad in January, once the Primera División has concluded.
For now, it’s all about Echeverri playing as well as he possibly can before this happens – and yesterday against Banfield he was brilliant.
As per Sofascore, Echeverri completed 30/37 (81%) passes, with a whopping five of those being ‘key’. He provided the assist for River’s Pablo Solari.
Solari started the move on the right wing, finding Echverri inside. The 18-year-old carried the ball forward before slipping Solari back in for the finish.
It was also a very industrious performance from Echeverri, which will be music to Pep Guardiola’s ears.
He contested 15 duels, winning nine. And he also made three tackles and a clearance.
Echeverri looks an exciting talent
A couple of years ago, Manchester City bought Julian Alvarez from River Plate and fans will very much hope that Echeverri turns out to be a similarly successful signing.
Echeverri has been allowed to stay at River to continue his development, just like Alvarez was. So hopefully, he can have an easier transition when he arrives at the Etihad Stadium.
It will likely not be a case of Echeverri coming in and immediately breaking into the starting XI.
| Claudio Echeverri for River Plate’s first-team |
| Appearances – 43 |
| Minutes played – 2200 |
| Goals – 4 |
| Assists – 6 |
| Most common position – Central attacking midfield (32 appearances) |
But there is no reason why he can’t eventually get some minutes, especially if City continue to have creativity issues later in the season.
Former River head coach Martin Demichelis has previously said Echeverri is a ‘marvel’, and seemingly his progression in Argentina since his move to City was announced has been very good.
Pep surely cannot wait to start working with him, especially seeing how comprehensive his performance against Banfield was.
