Manchester City loanee Claudio Echeverri may finally be getting the opportunity he needs to properly establish himself at Benfica.
The Argentine arrived right at the end of the transfer window and had some catching up to do. Benfica were already up and running, and Marco Silva had Sudakov ahead of him in the pecking order.
Things are starting to look a little more interesting now. Echeverri showed some promising signs in his first minutes and now has three weeks to work closely with Silva during the international break.
Sudakov, meanwhile, is away with Ukraine. And that has opened a door for the Manchester City youngster.
Echeverri ‘gains ground’ at Benfica
Jornal de Notícias explains that Echeverri is taking advantage of the international break to better understand Silva’s ideas.
The newspaper says his presence in Lisbon gives him an advantage over Sudakov during this period. There’s now a belief Echeverri can “gain ground” and start climbing the pecking order once club football returns.
His Benfica career has been a gradual process so far. The 20-year-old was on the bench against Moreirense before getting his opportunity against Gil Vicente. He came on in that game and helped Benfica find a way through.
That performance left a good impression. JN highlights his energy, ability to carry the ball and talent for causing problems through central areas.
| Statistic | River Plate (2024) | Bayer Leverkusen (2025/26) | Girona (2025/26) | Benfica (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 42 | 11 | 17 | 1 |
| Minutes played | 2,350 | 271 | 617 | 18 |
| Goals | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Assists | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Goals + assists | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Competitor will ‘feel the pressure’
There were already signs Echeverri could put some pressure on Sudakov. In less than 20 minutes against Moreirense, he created as many chances as the Ukrainian managed over the whole game.
The Manchester City loanee repeatedly slipped short passes into the penalty area and looked keen to make things happen.
Sudakov hasn’t exactly made himself untouchable since then either. He struggled to make much of an impact in the bigger games that followed, including Benfica’s Europa League win over AC Milan and the league defeat to Porto.
Sudakov remains Silva’s first choice there. The suggestion, though, is that Echeverri could soon make that decision a little more difficult.
The newspaper says the Ukrainian will “feel the pressure” from the Manchester City player after these three weeks of extra work.
Exactly what Manchester City will want to see
There’s obviously a long way to go before Echeverri actually takes Sudakov’s place. For Manchester City, though, seeing him push seriously for a starting spot would be encouraging.
His previous loans at Bayer Leverkusen and Girona never really allowed him to settle and establish himself. Benfica could be different.
Echeverri arrived late and started behind everyone else, but his first appearance went well. Now he has a useful little window to make up some of that lost ground.
Benfica have a €21m (£18.2m) option to buy him from Manchester City.
Before anyone starts worrying about that, Echeverri needs to play. Right now, at least, his chances of doing that appear to be moving in the right direction.
