Man City 'annoyed' by loan nightmare with situation about to come to a head

Claudio Echeverri joined Bayer Leverkusen on a season-long loan deal but the Manchester City youngster is struggling for playing time in Germany.

As is protocol on Champions League matchdays, Manchester City executives are likely to host their Bayer Leverkusen counterparts for lunch ahead of the meeting between the two clubs at the Etihad in 10 days' time.

There will no doubt be plenty to discuss on the day, but it seems a certainty that the future of Claudio Echeverri will come up as both sides try to reach a compromise over the Argentine.

What sort of role Echeverri plays at the Etihad a few hours later might also come into the thinking ahead of the January transfer window and what is likely to be crunch time over the 19-year-old's short-term future.

German newspaper Bild this weekend reported that City are 'annoyed' and 'frustrated' at Echeverri's lack of playing time. Discussions between the two clubs to find a solution are likely to take place, with the option of cutting the loan short in January.

Echeverri has managed just 240 minutes of football in the Bundesliga and Champions League so far this season. He has started just once in the Bundesliga, which came against Bayern Munich two weeks ago. He lasted 56 minutes and returned to the bench a week later against Heidenheim.

That was the fourth time in the previous five games that he had been an unused substitute. The picture is only marginally better in the Champions League, where Echeverri has at least managed to play in all four games.

He has started the last two games, against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica, but was substituted at half-time against PSG, with his side already 4-1 down (they would lose 7-2), and lasted only 57 minutes against the Portuguese side. That is the longest spell he has had on a pitch in eight games, which hardly suggests he is winning over new coach Kasper Hjulmand.

Echeverri joined the club when Erik ten Hag was in charge, but he lasted two games before being sacked. Sporting director Simon Rolfes pushed the move for the City starlet, handing him the No. 9 shirt and describing him as the type of player who gets fans flocking to stadiums.

“Claudio Echeverri is a technically gifted, energetic player who is very dynamic between the lines from where he poses a threat,” said Rolfes.

“A classy footballer – very good at dribbling, direct going forwards and always able to bring his teammates into play positively."

There is clearly a very talented player here. Pep Guardiola handed him a debut in an FA Cup final and he scored a classy free-kick in the Club World Cup before injury derailed his tournament.

That has robbed him of momentum and it is stopping even quicker in Germany. If the next six weeks see him continue to be an unused substitute or only getting 20 minutes here and there, then City will surely pull the plug in January.

Echeverri is too good to waste a season on the periphery in a struggling team. In the summer, it looked like this loan move could thrust him into the City squad for the 2026/27 season, especially with Bernardo Silva set to leave the Etihad.

That looks unlikely unless he can rediscover his rhythm and that won't happen if he isn't on the pitch. That's why an early end to his Leverkusen loan currently appears to be the most likely outcome.

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