Claudio Echeverri injury blow revealed ahead of Manchester City arrival | OneFootball

Manchester City have now understood the full extent of Claudio Echeverri’s injury sustained with Argentina’s Under-20 side ahead of his arrival at the Etihad Stadium.

The highly-rated attacking midfielder is on the verge of finally linking up with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad at Manchester City, over a year since his new employers and River Plate reached an agreement over a transfer.

Echeverri signed a contract at Manchester City until the summer of 2028, in a deal worth £12.5 million plus add-ons, with the agreement stipulating that the player would remain on loan at River Plate until the end of 2024.

While there had been a feeling in various quarters that a loan would be sanctioned upon his arrival in Europe, City have now opted to retain the player for the remainder of the campaign before making a decision on his future in the summer.

And after a stellar campaign with Argentina’s Under-20 side at the South American Under-20 Championships, excitement is growing over the arrival of Echeverri at the City Football Academy training facility.

However, that excitement has been relatively subdued over the course of the last few days after Echeverri succumbed to an injury blow in a clash with Brazil at the aforementioned tournament, cutting short his campaign before its conclusion this weekend.

As confirmed by the Argentina National Team on Friday, the nation’s Under-20 captain Claudio Echeverri sustained a grade one sprain in his left ankle during the 1-1 draw against Brazil Under-20 on Thursday night – a match in which the youngster scored from the penalty spot.

Unfortunately for Argentina, the attacking midfielder will now miss their final match of the South American Under-20 Championships on Sunday evening against Paraguay, with the trophy up for grabs with a victory of a wide margin.

Across Claudio Echeverri’s eight appearances in the competitions, captaining his side in each outing during that time, the player has managed to record an outstanding six goals and three assists to put his country in contention for the final prize.

There remains a possibility that Echeverri could yet make his debut for Manchester City before the end of the ongoing season, depending on the nature of matches he is deemed available for and the standards of his training.

Although, while his performances have caught the attention of millions at the Under-20 South American Championships, the belief within the Etihad Stadium is that Echeverri is more of a talent to be coached at the club rather than immediately impacting the team.