Marco Silva has played down the need for Benfica to make an early decision over a permanent move for Manchester City midfielder Claudio Echeverri. The 20-year-old joined the Portuguese club on loan in September, with the agreement including an option for Benfica to buy him.

Echeverri has made a positive impression since arriving in Portugal and recently admitted it would be “wonderful” to remain at Benfica beyond his loan spell. His future has now been put directly to Silva, who is happy with the midfielder’s progress but sees no reason to rush a decision.

Silva in no rush over Echeverri decision

As reported by Portuguese outlet A Bola, Silva said Benfica are pleased with Echeverri and have no doubts about his quality. However, the Benfica boss pointed out that the Argentina international has only made a handful of appearances and believes the club have plenty of time to assess him properly.

Benfica confirmed when Echeverri arrived from Manchester City that the season-long loan contains an option to buy. A Bola has reported that figure to be €21million, with City retaining a mechanism which could allow them to bring him back in the future.

That arrangement gives City a reason to keep a close eye on Echeverri’s progress even if Benfica eventually decide to make the transfer permanent. He remains a highly-rated young player and, at 20, still has plenty of development ahead of him after moving to Europe from River Plate.

Echeverri’s own preference could also become increasingly relevant if he continues to establish himself in Lisbon. He has already spoken positively about the prospect of staying, although Benfica’s decision is unlikely to be made on the strength of his opening weeks alone.

Silva’s response therefore leaves the situation open rather than offering any indication that a permanent deal is imminent. Benfica like what they have seen, Echeverri appears happy in Portugal and the mechanism for a transfer already exists, but the next few months should provide a much clearer indication of whether the loan becomes something more permanent.

For all the latest Manchester City news, reaction and analysis, visit our Man City news page.

Gary is an experienced sports journalist who has written for, among many others, BBC Sport and The Metro, and is now the editor of ReadEverton.com. He leads daily coverage of Everton news, transfers and analysis as part of the dave.sport network. He also writes for ReadManCity.com, and ReadMotorsport within the same network. When not writing, he enjoys a nice cold pint of Guinness and trips to the cinema ... not always at the same time.