Benfica manager Marco Silva has no doubts about Claudio Echeverri’s quality and that was behind the move to sign him on loan from Manchester City in the summer window.
Prior to this move, the 20-year-old had a disappointing spell with Manchester City. They agreed to a deal with River Plate in January 2024 and sent him back on loan for the rest of that year.
Since moving to England in January 2025, he’s played 64 minutes from three matches for Manchester City. Last summer, the Citizens sent him on loan to Bayer Leverkusen, and the move didn’t work out.
After playing 270 minutes from 11 matches, the Premier League side cut short his stay in January and immediately sent him on loan to Girona. The attacking midfielder featured regularly, but the Spanish club dropped out of La Liga.
Manchester City player open to permanent exit
Enzo Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer and didn’t include Claudio Echeverri in his core plans. Therefore, the English club sent him on loan to Benfica in September.
The Eagles have agreed a purchase clause to make the Argentine’s stay permanent. Two days ago, he opened the door for a longer stay at the Estádio da Luz.
He said: “In Europe, Benfica is one of the best clubs for welcoming Argentines. Many great Argentine players have come through here. I hope that Prestianni and I can follow in the footsteps of those Argentines who found success here. I’m very happy to be here.”
“Yes, of course (he could stay). But one step at a time, we’ll see what happens. Still, it would be wonderful.”
Echeverri has contributed two assists from 141 minutes from four matches for Benfica so far.
Silva on triggering Manchester City man’s clause
Benfica will face Santa Clara in the league on Monday. Marco Silva talked about Claudio Echeverri in his pre-match press conference and the print edition of A Bola relays his comments.
Silva was asked what he would say if Benfica president Rui Costa were to ask him about making the Manchester City man’s stay permanent by exercising the purchase clause.
Responding to that, he said: “I’d say we have plenty of time to assess him and integrate him into the team. And I’m not talking about quality. Because he’s got plenty of quality. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have made that move [signing him] so close to the end of the [transfer] window.”
“I felt we needed a player with that profile for that position and asked the board to find the right player. He’d been linked with Benfica, and I knew him well from his brief spell in England. There’s no need to rush the process or make a hasty decision.”
“The player knows we’re pleased with him; we know the talent we have in the squad to work with. He has to keep working – and work hard. We don’t usually make decisions based solely on one or two months, or on two or three matches. I’m certain the player will contribute a great deal and that he will improve.”
“Within the established timeframe and deadlines, we’ll have plenty of time to do so. There’s no need to rush things. We have a lot to focus on and work towards. At the right time, we’ll make the decisions that will always be in Benfica’s best interests.”
