Its my inspiration - Guardiola explains surprise Echeverri FA cup final debut

Pep Guardiola has offered a characteristically quirky explanation for his surprise decision to hand 19-year-old Claudio Echeverri his Manchester City debut in Saturday's 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, a result that ended the club’s hopes of domestic silverware this season.

City, who were looking to bounce back from last season’s FA Cup final loss, were undone once again at Wembley as Eberechi Eze's first-half goal proved decisive, securing Palace’s first-ever major trophy in their 119-year history.

Trailing with just over 15 minutes to play, Guardiola opted to substitute Omar Marmoush, who had missed a major penalty earlier in the second half, for Echeverri.

The highly-rated Argentine teenager who joined City in January and had yet to feature in any senior matchday squad.

When questioned about his rationale for deploying a debutant in such a high-stakes moment, Guardiola responded in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

“My inspiration? I’m a talented manager,” Guardiola said.

He continued, “I want to be honest, it was not a bad decision. If we don’t take risks, we don’t grow. Claudio deserved his moment, and he will have many more.”

Echeverri, who starred for River Plate’s youth sides and captained Argentina at the U-17 World Cup, has been gradually integrated into training with the first team.