Echeverri arrived in Europe with enormous expectations. After exploding onto the scene with River Plate, from nine goals in a youth tournament in Venice to becoming one of the club’s youngest Copa Libertadores scorers, City secured him on a six-year deal in January 2024, viewing him as a long-term project.
He remained at River until the end of that year, then made brief appearances for City in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, scoring at the Club World Cup before being sent on loan to Leverkusen for the current campaign. The move was meant to be a crucial step in adapting him to European football’s pace and tactical demands.
Instead, he has struggled to break into Leverkusen’s team that has itself been struggling on the managerial front this season. Echeverri has made just eight appearances, only three of them starts, and in the last five matches he hasn’t left the bench. He is yet to record a goal or assist this season.
The lack of continuity has fed mounting frustration. According to reports in Argentina, Echeverri has already told City he wants to return to River Plate, a desire he hinted at with a viral photo kissing the River badge, captioned with a heart and hourglass emoji.
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