Claudio Echeverri will “almost certainly” have his loan deal at Bayer Leverkusen terminated in January, but a return to boyhood club River Plate is a “horrifically bad idea”, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole .

The highly-rated 19-year-old attacker has struggled to gain regular first-team football with the Bundesliga club since joining in the summer, failing to score or assist across three starts and five substitute outings in all competitions.

Leverkusen’s start to the campaign was disrupted by the dismissal of Erik ten Hag after just four competitive games and the arrival of new head coach Kasper Hjulmand has offered little benefit to Echeverri.

Champions League rules permit Echeverri to play against his parent club Man C

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