Just over two months after officially starting his stint at Manchester City, Claudio Echeverri is still going through the usual adaptation process to the demanding European football. Although he hasn't yet had the opportunity to debut under Pep Guardiola's guidance, he was drafted for the match against Aston Villa, although he was ultimately not included among the substitutes.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old broke his silence in an interview with the club's official site. In it, he shared how he is experiencing his first weeks in one of the most powerful teams in the world today and revealed details of the conversation he had with Guardiola upon arrival. He also dared to compare the style of the Catalan coach with that of Marcelo Gallardo, his previous coach at River.
Echeverri llegó a principios de año al City
"I was very nervous because there are many high-level players, great players with a lot of history," confessed a visibly humble Echeverri.
He also mentioned that Julián Álvarez offered him his support, even though he couldn't coincide in the squad with him due to his transfer to Atlético de Madrid. "In case I ever need something," said the Diablito about the advice and willingness of the world champion.
Julián le dio uno consejos y apoya al Diablito
Regarding his first contact with Guardiola, the young player explained that the Spanish coach was very open and receptive from the first moment. According to him, Pep told him he was "very happy" to have him on the team. "He told me I could count on him for whatever I needed. I thanked him for the opportunity and that's it, that I'm always available," Echeverri emphasized, still surprised by the welcome.
As for the daily work, Echeverri didn't hesitate to highlight one of the main differences he noticed between his time at River and this new experience in England. In Manchester, according to him, the training focus is entirely on technique and ball control: "a lot of work with the ball; it's all passing, possession, keeping, 'rondo'."
This methodology contrasted with what he experienced in Núñez, where the training was more demanding from a physical standpoint, something he also appreciated. "It's good to have contact with the ball in training. Perhaps at River it was a bit more physical with Marcelo(Gallardo), who knows how to do those things and it's very useful for the matches," explained the attacking midfielder, drawing a constructive comparison between his two realities.
