Claudio Echeverri was 'born with the ball at his feet' as Erik ten Hag lauds Man City loanee as he prepares to 'build a new era' at Bayer Leverkusen

Leverkusen head coach Ten Hag spoke highly about the club's exciting young summer recruit Echeverri, who was signed on a one-year loan from City. The former Ajax and Manchester United boss provided his initial thoughts on the player and stated he was "born with the ball at his feet," while also indicating when fans can see him in action for the first time with his new team.

All eyes will be on the talented 19-year-old, not only because of his links to City but as he is expected to plug the gap after Leverkusen saw Florian Wirtz sign for Liverpool in a record move. Echeverri caught the eye of several teams, including Roma, City's sister club Girona and Leverkusen's Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund. The young Argentine will spend one season on loan at the 2023-24 German champions, with City hoping he can develop and take massive strides before becoming a part of their future projects. For that reason, no buy option has been inserted into this deal.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Ten Hag raved about Echeverri and hinted the youngster could even be in the starting lineup. 

"He's fit," Ten Hag said. "He's [quite] a player, I think he was born with the ball at his feet. He can also play from the start, we've seen that."

Based on Ten Hag's comments, it seems likely Echeverri will be in the starting lineup for Die Werkself's opening Bundesliga game of the 2025-26 season against Hoffenheim on Saturday. He will be hoping to hit the ground running immediately as this loan spell in Germany could well determine whether he features in Pep Guardiola's plans at the Etihad next season.