Could Manchester City’s Argentinean wonderkid begin his City career with the first team?

Could Manchester City’s Argentinean wonderkid Claudio Echeverri will begin his City career in City’s first team? The River Plate starlet is set to join the world champions in January. He is currently starring for River Plate during his loan spell with the club. Is there a possibility that he could potentially find a role in Pep Guardiola’s squad upon his arrival at the Etihad?

A report from Simon Mullock for the Mirror indicates that Manchester City’s plan to loan Echeverri to Girona upon his arrival at the club has hit a snag. Mullock reports that City had intended to loan their Argentinean wonderkid to their sister club. But with Girona having secured Champions League football for next season, UEFA rules prevent Champions League clubs with the same owner from agreeing loan deals. Furthermore, Mullock reports that City has had talks with Real Sociedad, Real Betis, and Las Palmas over a potential loan deal for Echeverri.

But could Echeverri instead hone his craft amongst City’s first team? That doesn’t seem out of the realms of possibility.

The case for Claudio Echeverri to train with and potentially play with the Manchester City first team.

Across this season so far for River Plate, Echeverri has made 15 appearances for the club. In those appearances, he has scored 2 goals and added 3 assists. His outstanding technical ability and eye for a pass is obvious. This coupled with his dribbling and movement makes him a standout player, especially for his age. While he is still an extremely raw prospect, his talent is apparent.

The youngster has been so impressive for River Plate that current River Plate manager and former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has told City that the youngster is the real deal. That is high praise for the talented playmaker.