Man City's saviour?! Wonderkid Claudio Echeverri bids emotional farewell to 'club of his life' River Plate as he prepares to join Pep Guardiola's struggling side

The English champions signed the 18-year-old playmaker from River Plate in January 2024 and allowed the Buenos Aires-based outfit to keep him on loan until the end of the year. After appearing in the club's final game of the year on December 15 against Racing Club, the 18-year-old has now paid an emotional tribute to his boyhood club ahead of moving to the Premier League.

On Instagram, Echeverri posted a video of clips from his time with River Plate and in the caption he wrote: "Today I have to say goodbye to the club of my life, the one I joined when I was very young with a lot of dreams to fulfill. River became my second home, the club that shaped me not only as a professional but also as a person. I want to thank the fans, teammates, coaching staff, directors and people who work at the club for all these years. I also want to thank my family and friends, none of this would have been the same without them. I will miss them and I will continue to be a fan wherever I am. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and see you soon."

City, who have endured a nightmare run in the last two months, will look to register the youngster with their first-team squad as early as possible. Echeverri appeared in 41 matches for River Plate in the 2024/25 season, scoring four goals and providing six assists.

Guardiola's side will hope to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day as they take on Everton at Etihad Stadium.