Bayer Leverkusen reveal why Claudio Echeverri has played under 90 minutes during Manchester City loan | OneFootball

Manchester City are being forced to watch highly-rated attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri struggle for game time so far during his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen.

The Argentine teenager joined a side then-led by Erik ten Hag during the summer transfer window, having completed a season-long loan move away from the Etihad Stadium. City sanctioned the deal without an option to buy, viewing Echeverri as a long-term asset.

Having impressed during brief cameos for City last season – including a debut in the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace and a memorable free-kick goal at the FIFA Club World Cup against Al Ain – expectations were high for his first full European campaign.

However, his opportunities in the Bundesliga have been extremely limited, with the 19-year-old yet to complete a full 90 minutes in any competition. Echeverri’s move to Leverkusen followed months of transfer speculation involving Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, and Girona.

Manchester City ultimately chose the German giants as the ideal environment for the youngster’s development, despite reports that they had received multiple approaches featuring buy-option clauses, which they rejected.

Speaking during a new conversation with German newspaper Kicker, as translated and relayed by Bulinews.com, Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director of sport Simon Rolfes has revealed why Claudio Echeverri has been limited to just 82 minutes of action with the club this season.

“The team must first gain defensive stability in order to play dominant football,” Rolfes admitted to the media outlet.

He continued, “The more we manage to do this, the more Claudio (Echeverri) and other attacking players will benefit from it.”

Rolfes’ comments suggest that tactical priorities, rather than player performance, have influenced Claudio Echeverri’s lack of playing time so far this season. With Leverkusen balancing multiple competitions, coaching staff appear to be prioritising structure and balance.

For City, the situation will be closely monitored. Guardiola is known to be a huge admirer of Echeverri’s talent, and City maintain a January recall clause in the agreement with Leverkusen – though reports have stressed this would only be activated under specific circumstances.

Looking ahead, the expectation will be for Echeverri to gradually earn more involvement as the season progresses and Leverkusen’s tactical cohesion improves. If he can establish himself as a key creative option in Kasper Hjulmand’s system, it will represent a significant step forward in his development, and a potential audition for his future at the Etihad Stadium.