Echeverri scores in Benfica friendly as loan move offers City misfit a fresh start

Claudio Echeverri marked the international break with a goal in Benfica’s 3-1 friendly win over Estoril, offering a small but timely sign of life for a Manchester City prospect whose career has stalled badly since a promising cameo at the 2025 Club World Cup.

The 20-year-old Argentine is now on his third loan in just over 12 months, having arrived at the Etihad from River Plate as a highly touted teenager. His path since has been anything but smooth: he spurned City’s preference for a move to Girona last season, joined Bayer Leverkusen instead and underwhelmed, then ended up at the Spanish club anyway in the second half of the campaign — only to suffer relegation with them.

Pep Guardiola publicly criticised Echeverri’s representatives during that period, and the player’s pre-season with City this summer did little to change the picture. He featured in all three tour matches but only from the bench, accumulating fewer than 60 minutes of action across the three games.

A deadline-day loan to Benfica followed, with the Portuguese club holding an option to make the deal permanent next summer. Echeverri made his debut in mid-September, coming off the bench in the closing stages of a 3-1 win over Gil Vicente and creating a goal for fellow Argentine Gianluca Prestianni.

Benfica manager Marco Silva, who left Fulham in the summer, was encouraged by what he saw despite the limited preparation time available to the youngster.

“I liked him a lot,” said Silva. “We didn’t have much time to train, with the travel, he didn’t have a full week to train with us and understand the dynamics, it’s been more with videos and analysis. It’s important to understand that in a difficult moment of the game he came on and showed what he does, which is to play calmly and not be afraid to ask for the ball, to take responsibility and to take risks. We needed that type of player, a creative player who gets into the box. He played little time, but I liked him a lot.”

Echeverri was not involved in Benfica’s next two matches, but internally at the club there is a belief that the international break has given him the time to settle and properly absorb the team’s demands. His goal against Estoril will have done no harm to that process. Whether this loan can finally unlock the potential that made City move for him in the first place remains to be seen.