Pep Guardiola is reportedly frustrated with Claudio Echeverri’s lack of playing time at Bayer Leverkusen, with a decision on his loan expected in January.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly “annoyed” with Bayer Leverkusen over the lack of playing time for highly-rated Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri, prompting City to consider activating a clause to cut his loan short in January.
According to a report from Sport Witness, citing sources at Bild, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is “annoyed” with Bayer Leverkusen over the situation concerning young Argentine attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri.
Echeverri, who arrived in England in January and was subsequently sent on loan to the German club in August to gain match experience and adapt to European football, has been severely limited in his opportunities.
The 19-year-old, who Manchester City completed the signing of from River Plate a year ago, has only accumulated 240 minutes from eight matches this season at Leverkusen.
This lack of game time has caused “frustration” at Manchester City, whose plan for the youngster’s development is not proceeding as intended.
The report highlights that Manchester City possess a clause that allows them to cut short Echeverri’s loan stay in January.
With the two clubs set to face each other in the Champions League on November 25th at the Etihad, the expectation is that they will discuss whether to terminate the Argentina U23 international’s loan early.
Bild predicts that a “decision is expected by January,” and if Echeverri returns to England, Manchester City may immediately seek to send him on loan to a different club during the winter transfer window.
Interestingly, a report from TyC Sports journalist Juan Cortese indicated two days prior that Echeverri would prefer to return to River Plate in the next window, though Manchester City retains the final say on his future.