Pep Guardiola reveals Claudio Echeverri “secret” after first Manchester City goal | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has told “a secret” about Claudio Echeverri off the back of the midfielder’s first ever Manchester City goal.

Fresh off the back of both his debut for the club and first Premier League outing during the final matches of last season, Claudio Echeverri has come into the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup campaign desperate to make a name for himself.

And having been granted his full debut for the side by starting in the lead attacking midfield role against Al Ain on matchday two of the group phase in the United States, the 19-year-old did exactly that.

When a free-kick was awarded to Manchester City on the edge of the penalty area, Echeverri took full control of the situation and steered home an expertly taken strike into the Al Ain goal to double his side’s advantage.

Speaking to reporters after City’s eventual 6-0 win over Al Ain on Sunday night, qualifying the side for the last-16 of the Club World Cup, manager Pep Guardiola revealed the hard work that has led up to Claudio Echeverri’s first goal for the club.

“I want to tell you a secret: Last season, when he arrived, after every training session he practiced free-kicks alone,” Guardiola revealed.

The Manchester City manager continued, “So always; work pays off! If you score a goal, it’s because he practiced! When the other guys don’t practice, they don’t score goals.”

Stefan Ortega Moreno was also keen to insist on praise for his teammate, describing Claudio Echeverri as a “great taker” when discussing the Argentine’s strike with club media from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

And having put in a strong performance and a significant improvement from matchday one, Ilkay Gundogan – who scored a brace against Al Ain – told reporters, “This team is able to set standards, I think we’ve shown that in the past.

“And I’m here to help everyone else work towards that standard every single day in training sessions, but also in games.”

Manchester City supporters and the squad as a whole will now only be hoping that Claudio Echeverri’s injury sustained in the first-half against Al Ain but before his goal is not too serious and further opportunities to see the player in action can come along.

Attentions will turn to a matchday three clash against Juventus on Thursday night closer to the club’s training base in Boca Raton, as the two sides battle it out for top spot in their group at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Pep Guardiola and his players have already secured their place in the last-16 of the tournament but require a win over the Italian giants to win first-place, with either of Real Madrid, RB Salzburg, or Al-Hilal awaiting in the next round.