Man City Forward Spotted on Crutches During Club World Cup | OneFootball

More is becoming clear about Claudio Echeverri’s withdrawal at halftime in Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup win over Al Ain earlier this week.

Echeverri, who made a surprise City debut off the bench in the FA Cup final last month, arrived from River Plate in January—a year after the transfer was initially agreed.

The 19-year-old remained an unused substitute for City’s Club World Cup opener against Wydad AC, before then starting and scoring in the 6–0 thrashing of Al Ain. It was down to an ankle injury that he came off, and Pep Guardiola said afterwards it was “a bit sore”.

But there are doubts about Echeverri’s continued involvement at the tournament after training footage widely shared on social media showed the young Argentine present, on crutches and with his right foot and lower leg encased in a protective boot.

Requiring that level of treatment and support is not something that is typically a fast recovery, certainly not when the Club World Cup will be over in just over two weeks.

Fans were shocked to see Echeverri appear in the FA Cup final. / IMAGO / News Images

Echeverri marks a growing recruitment trend from elite football clubs, increasingly looking to South America for unpolished gems. Echeverri was actually old enough to join City immediately when his transfer was announced in January 2024, but still stayed with River Plate on loan for another year. However, many—like Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Endrick and Willian Estêvão—are signed before turning 18 and have to wait until they can move internationally.

But being old enough doesn’t always means young talents are ready. Endrick struggled for game time in his first season at Real Madrid and it has been reported that City are already prepared to loan Echeverri—and fellow South American teenager Vitor Reis—out next season.

The club will hope that Echeverri’s injury is not too serious, though, as any sort of long-term recovery process would likely impact their ability to find a suitable loan destination.