Marco Silva goes public on Claudio Echeverri permanent purchase from Manchester City

Benfica manager Silva backs permanent deal for loanee Echeverri from Manchester City, citing his quality but urging patience before exercising the purchase clause.

Claudio Echeverri joined Benfica on loan from Manchester City in September after a difficult spell in England. The 20-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder had limited impact at City and on loan at Bayer Leverkusen and Girona before arriving at the Portuguese club.

Benfica agreed a purchase clause to make Echeverri's stay permanent. Manager Marco Silva was asked in his pre-match press conference whether he would recommend exercising that option. Silva expressed confidence in the player's quality but cautioned against rushing the decision. "There's no need to rush the process or make a hasty decision," Silva said. "We have plenty of time to assess him and integrate him into the team. He's got plenty of quality. If he didn't, we wouldn't have made that move so close to the end of the window."

Silva added that Benfica typically don't make decisions based on just one or two months of performances. Echeverri has contributed two assists from 141 minutes across four matches for the Eagles so far.