With Manchester City about to complete the signing of Claudio Echeverri from River Plate, the Argentine media continues to hype up the youngster.
The latest story on the 18-year-old comes from Pagina 12, who managed to interview Daniel Brizuela, the man who ‘discovered’ the midfielder’s talent.
Brizuela used to be a director at River Plate’s scouting department, and has some very positive comments about Echeverri’s abilities and personality.
“He is a footballer who has a mix between Maradona and Messi,” said Brizuela.
“Because he has the personality that Diego had, the strong character to grab the ball and go forward. And the other part is football, in that he is very similar to Lionel, with his dribbling that starts on the flank, moving towards the middle and finishing the play with a goal.”
Brizuela was also asked about the player’s premature move to Manchester City and the bad feelings that club and fans could get about that.
“I understand it a little, because the fan is the heart of the club, but they never know the whole story. They hear a part of it or see something on the pitch that triggers their emotions. But beyond all that, we have a history as a person, and the player’s career is short and nobody knows if anything will happen to him in the future. So, if he has the opportunity to go abroad and help his family financially, he should take advantage of it. There is only one life and you have to take advantage of opportunities.”
Echeverri’s transfer from River Plate to Manchester City is still to get confirmed by the clubs, but the Argentine media has been taking it as pretty much done since the start of the year.
It’s said that Pep Guardiola’s side will be investing €18m on this signing, plus potential €9m in performance bonuses.
The wonderkid only made six appearances for the Argentine club’s first team, and should probably need a little more experience until he’s ready to play for the Premier League side, which is why he is expected to head back out on loan immediately.
