Man City could repeat £14m transfer masterstroke with Pep Guardiola help

Claudio Echeverri isn't likely to win Manchester City the Premier League.

The arrival of the teenage midfielder in the January transfer window shouldn't be heralded as a replacement for Rodri or a signing that will transform their campaign. If he earns a first team debut before the end of the season, he will have done very well.

However, there is a reason City are bringing him to Manchester when they could easily keep him at River Plate for another six months or send him out on loan. Not only have the Blues been excellent at signing young South American talent in the last decade but they have had more success because their timing has been right.

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Gabriel Jesus remained at Palmeiras for six months in 2016 to lead them to the Brazilian title but arrived in January 2017 ready to push Sergio Aguero out of Pep Guardiola's first team. Julian Alvarez stayed at River for six months after his £14m deal before joining the first team in time for their Treble season.

The Alvarez plan wasn't certain when City signed him but by the summer they were convinced that he was ready to be given a shot. He proved the verdict right, but he wouldn't have had the chance if those watching him closely weren't able to spot his maturing.

Echeverri is probably most similar in profile to Maximo Perrone, who arrived soon after signing from Las Palmas and stayed with the squad for six months. Guardiola gave him a debut inside two, using him off the bench in both the Premier League and FA Cup after being impressed by him in training.

The next two seasons have seen Perrone go out on loan, first to Las Palmas in La Liga and now Cesc Fabregas's Como in Serie A, where he uses regular football to improve further. He still returned to Manchester in summer though and went with Guardiola on the first team tour.

Echeverri may well follow a similar road, but the future is up to him. He has already passed the first test as a City player, receiving the green light to come to Manchester for six months for a closer inspection training with Guardiola.

City don't yet know how much they will be able to count on Echeverri, but they will still be stronger for having him from January.