Manchester City have some exciting young talents in their squad. Of course, the best of the bunch include the likes of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, if you still consider those to be young talents. They were, of course, influential in City’s treble-winning side, but are both only 24 years of age.
The likes of Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb and new signing Vitor Reis are also some of the younger stars at the Etihad Stadium. The first two players are both academy graduates, whilst Reis was a recent acquisition in January from Palmeiras.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola has given plenty of these youngsters a chance already and will be looking for the next star he can bring through. There is no doubt a player like Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri would be a welcome addition.
Nwaneri’s Arsenal career
It has been a rapid rise to the top for Nwaneri, just as it was for several City academy graduates like Foden and Lewis. He has now played 25 times for his boyhood club, making his debut in 2022/23 and becoming the youngest player in Premier League history in the process, aged 15 years and 181 days.
This season has been a breakout campaign for the 17-year-old. He has played 23 times for Arsenal, scoring an impressive seven goals in all competitions, including his strike in the 5-1 thrashing against the Citizens.
It has been exciting to see Nwaneri perform to these levels in a side pushing for major honours. In the past, there has been criticism towards Mikel Arteta for not trusting the academy stars, but he has said Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are “playing because they deserve it”.
This is certainly something Guardiola might look to follow this season and in the future. He has given youngsters a chance in the past, but that has been less of the case this season. However, they could already have their own Nwaneri in the form of Claudio Echeverri.
The impact Echeverri could have at City
City confirmed the signing of young Argentinian attacking midfielder Echeverri in January 2024. He cost them just £12.5m from River Plate. He was meant to join last month, but will instead arrive in February due to a call-up for Argentina’s Under-20s.
The 19-year-old, described as a “superstar” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, has been impressive in his short professional career so far. He has played 48 games for River, scoring four times and grabbing eight assists.
Manchester City and Argentina legend Sergio Aguero seemed to enjoy one goal of his, as he posted on X following the youngster’s strike against Gimnasia last year. He danced in between opposition defenders, changing direction sharply thanks to his low centre of gravity before firing into the back of the net.
Statistically, Echeverri’s quality is clear for all to see. According to Sofascore, the youngster has created 4 big chances and averages 1.7 key passes per game in the Argentinian top flight. Off the ball, he averages 3.6 ball recoveries per game.
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Echeverri stats in Argentinian top flight 2024 |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Number |
|
Games |
20 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.7 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.5 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
3.6 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
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Most recently, for Argentina’s Under-20s, the 19-year-old grabbed an assist and scored two goals in a 4-3 victory for his side over Uruguay. Essentially, he single-handedly clawed his side to victory, showing just how much of an impact he can have on a game.
Guardiola will certainly be hoping that Echeverri can have the same impact on his side as Nwaneri has made on Arsenal. The Hale End star has been fantastic off the bench, and more recently, from the start for the Gunners.
They also operate in similar areas, either as a No 10 or out wide. The only difference is the fact that Nwaneri plays on the right, whereas Echeverri operates on the left.
Once he is used to the environment and system, there is no reason to think why Echeverri cannot have the same impact on the City side. He certainly has all the tools to become one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League.
