Claudio Echeverri's Manchester City career remains on hold, and Benfica are in no mood to hurry the paperwork.

Marco Silva addressed the permanent signing question before his side's 2-1 victory against Santa Clara, and his answer was a masterclass in patience. The Argentine is at the Estádio da Luz for the 2026-27 campaign on a loan that contains an option to buy, but Silva made clear that no decision is imminent.

"I'd say we have plenty of time to assess him and integrate him into the team," Silva said. "And I'm not talking about quality. Because he's got plenty of quality. If he didn't, we wouldn't have made that move so close to the end of the window."

The numbers back up the cautious approach. Echeverri has been used mainly from the bench under Silva, making his debut as a substitute against Gil Vicente with an assist, then waiting until mid-October for a first start in a win over Omonia Nicosia. In between, it has been scraps.

That is a familiar pattern for a player who spent last season away from the Etihad. A season-long loan at Bayer Leverkusen brought sporadic minutes, followed by a January switch to Girona, where he managed one goal and one assist in 618 minutes. The 20-year-old, signed from River Plate for £12.5 million in 2024, is still waiting for a run of games.

City's own midfield has changed beyond recognition in the meantime. Elliot Anderson arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for £86 million, and Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea in a club-record £125 million deal. Hugo Viana and Enzo Maresca reportedly drove the decision to send Echeverri out, having initially planned to keep him after pre-season.

Silva's measured message

Silva, who knew Echeverri from the player's brief spell in England, was keen to stress that the loan is about development, not auditioning for a quick sale.

"We don't usually make decisions based solely on one or two months, or on two or three matches," he said. "There's no need to rush the process or make a hasty decision. The player knows we're pleased with him. He has to keep working - and work hard."

Benfica's due diligence apparently extended to a call to Ruben Dias, the City captain who spent more than 12 years in Lisbon before his 2020 move to Manchester. Portuguese reports claim the Portuguese club asked about Echeverri's professionalism and adaptation to European football before completing the deal.

Echeverri himself has said he would be open to staying beyond the initial loan, comments relayed by Sport Witness on 25 October after an interview with Mais Futebol. City, for their part, are protected by a reported £43.4 million buy-back clause, leaving them free to let him develop elsewhere or sell to Benfica at a profit.

For now, the ball is at Echeverri's feet. Silva's message was clear: the talent is there, the time is not yet.