River Plate academy director Hermes Desio has told AS that Claudio Echeverri is ready to ‘take the leap’ to Manchester City.
Back in January, Manchester City confirmed that an agreement has been reached with the Argentine club for the 18-year-old.
As part of the deal, Manchester City have allowed the attacking midfielder to return to River Plate on loan until next January.
The Argentina U23 international came up through the ranks of River Plate’s academy and made his way into their first team in 2023.
Echeverri’s fine displays for River Plate last year and his potential attracted interest from several European clubs, before the Citizens won the battle in the end. Manchester City had previously signed Julián Álvarez from the same club in 2022.
Over the past few years, River Plate have seen Echeverri, Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and a few others graduate from their academy and secure a move to Europe.
When AS asked Desio to explain his club’s success, he said: “Being part of River implies maximum demand and commitment from the very first moment. It’s similar to what happens at Real Madrid. There’s nothing extraordinary to highlight in the management of their academy, but rather a compendium of things that lead to a good final result.”
The newspaper then talked about Echeverri, who will move to Manchester City in 2025, and asked the River Plate academy director whether the player is ready to take this step.
Responding to that, Desio explained: “There are players who mature earlier than others and Claudio did it early.
“Playing for River requires a head that is especially prepared to withstand the pressure. For many years the Monumental has been filled with 85,000 people at every game and you have to be very strong mentally to bear that responsibility. River provides the necessary tools for the player to develop.”
