Echeverri makes long-awaited City debut after three months

He had to wait three months for it, but Claudio Echeverri made his long-awaited debut for Manchester. The 20-year-old Argentine earned his first minutes in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester City had finalised the signing of Echeverri in January 2024, but decided to have him play with River Plate and then Argentina's under-20s until the end of the calendar year. He finally landed at the Etihad in February 2025, over a year later.

Trailing 1-0 following Eberchi Eze's opener in the FA Cup showpiece, Pep Guardiola opted to bring Echeverri on in the 76th minute. And the young striker was immediately given a chance to score on his debut.

Kevin de Bruyne set up 'El Diablito' on his right foot at the near post of Dean Henderson's goal. But a straight shot gave the Eagles goalkeeper an easy save on Echeverri's effort, denying him from salvaging City's hopes.

Echeverri was unable to prevent defeat for the Sky Blues, who are now set to conclude the season without a trophy for the first time since 2016/17. They must now win their remaining two Premier League fixtures to at least seal a top-five finish and earn Champions League qualification.