Pep Guardiola set to throw 'new Lionel Messi' straight into Man City squad in desperate bid to reignite failing season

12/09/2024 06:42 PM

PEP GUARDIOLA will throw the 'new Lionel Messi' straight into Manchester City's creaking squad next month.

Argentine starlet Claudio Echeverri, 18, arrives from River Plate — a year after a £12million deal was completed.

City agreed to let him stay in his homeland for another season while  the South American giants hoped to keep him even longer.

But boss Guardiola has decided he wants to be able to call upon the attacking midfielder during the second half of the campaign.

So Echeverri is moving to England in the new year to spend the rest of the season training with the first team.

He will be available to step in straight away but is likely to need time to find his feet in his new surroundings.

City had previously considered sending the teenager to one of their sister clubs to gain some European experience.

That remains a possibility for the summer if the feeling is he is still not ready to challenge for a spot in Pep's team.

But the Etihad boss admitted at the weekend he is desperately short of options after a pile-up of injuries.

And Echeverri will be given every chance to show he can play a part in the set-up.

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The reigning Premier League champions beat off competition from around the world as they clinched the signing of the Argentina Under-17s captain last winter.

His position and style have seen him compared to his country’s World Cup-winning skipper and Barcelona legend Messi — who Guardiola helped mould into a superstar at the helm of the Spanish giants.

Echeverri broke into River's first team 18 months ago and has been playing regularly for them since.

His arrival comes in the wake of the news that the  hearing into the 130 breaches of Financial Fair Play rules levelled at City by the Premier League is now over.

A three-man panel, who have heard both sides over the last three months, will now consider the evidence before writing up the report.

While the earliest an outcome is expected to be known is spring, there are fears it could run into next season.

The hearing began on September 16 at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London and was originally scheduled to take ten weeks.

It has overrun by around a fortnight but it is understood closing statements were heard at the end of last week.

Abu Dhabi-owned City are also  accused of failing to co-operate with the investigation — which began in 2018 — of their alleged breaches of FFP.

If they are found guilty, they could face a huge points deduction which may condemn them to relegation.

But both sides would have the option to appeal against the decision if they are not satisfied — meaning it could be several more months before any such   penalties are imposed.