Claudio Echeverri’s loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen has not gone as Manchester City expected. According to local outlet TyC, the Argentine midfielder is still struggling to adapt to European football after leaving River Plate at the end of 2024.

The 19-year-old has made only six appearances for Leverkusen so far. Three in the Bundesliga and three in the Champions League. Across those games, he has played just 127 minutes in total. 

His cameos include six minutes against Hoffenheim, 29 versus Werder Bremen, 14 against Borussia Mönchengladbach, 23 against Copenhagen, 10 against PSV.

He stayed on the bench during their recent 4-3 win over Mainz 05. Then he started in the brutal 7-2 loss against PSG, but was taken off during half-time. 

Earlier this year, the German club also prevented Echeverri from joining Argentina’s Under-20 squad. The national team went on to finish as runners-up, while the midfielder played only 10 minutes in the tournament.

Before joining Leverkusen, his playing time at Manchester City was also limited. But Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes explained that the coaching staff are focusing on defensive balance. That will come before allowing more freedom in...