Benfica signing with 18 minutes under his belt could be Marco Silva's ace | OneFootball

Claudio Echeverri was one of Benfica’s signings in the last summer transfer window and, at the same time, one of the reinforcements who has played the fewest minutes since arriving at the Luz. The Argentine playmaker featured for just 18 minutes in the 3-1 win over Gil Vicente, 3-1, but that short time on the pitch was enough to leave his mark, as he set up compatriot Gianluca Prestianni for one of the Eagles’ goals.

His debut naturally sparked the fans’ curiosity about what the player tied to Manchester City can bring to the team. Considered for several years one of the great promises of Argentine football, Echeverri joined Benfica after unsuccessful loan spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Girona, viewing his move to the Luz as a chance to relaunch his career and finally show the potential he had long been credited with.

He took advantage of the three-week break to work more specifically with the player, looking to speed up the young Argentine’s adaptation to the Club and, above all, to the ideas he wants to implement. After the match against Gil Vicente, the Eagles’ coach did not hide his satisfaction with the first signs shown by the new signing: "I really liked him, I think that’s important. We haven’t had much time to train, with the travel, he hasn’t had a full week to train with us and understand the dynamics, it has been more through videos and analysis"... It’s important to understand that, in a difficult moment in the game, he came on and brought what is his, which is playing calmly and not being afraid to ask for the ball, to take responsibility and to take risks. We needed that type of player, a creative player getting into the box. He played only a short time, but I really liked him", he said.

Echeverri’s spell with the Eagles represents a new opportunity after two loan experiences that fell short of expectations. For Bayer Leverkusen he played 11 matches, while at Girona he featured in 16 games, recording one goal and one assist. The Argentine is now on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season, with Benfica holding a purchase option that could take the deal beyond €20 million. The English club also safeguarded a buy-back option worth €21 million. At the Luz, Echeverri also has the support of compatriots Enzo Barrenechea and Prestianni.

When competition resumes, scheduled for October 11 against Vitória de Guimarães, Echeverri may have another opportunity to show his worth. The Argentine is directly competing for space in the No. 10 role with Georgiy Sudakov.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.