Manchester United teenager Diego León might not have to wait long to become the first Paraguayan to play for the club in its 147-year history, if pre-season goes in his favour.
León was only 17 when his pre-arranged transfer to Old Trafford was revealed in January. Having turned 18 in April, he eventually made the switch to Europe in July.
A left-back or left-sided wing-back, the youngster appears to have an immediate use to United because of Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation. If Patrick Dorgu is first choice on that side and Luke Shaw’s fitness record remains patchy—or he is increasingly utilised as the left-sided centre back— León could feasibly find himself the first point of cover on the left flank.
The battle for that role in the squad will be between the South American and fellow 18-year-old Harry Amass, whose longstanding hype turned into four Premier League starts towards the end of last season. It’s plausible that Amass could be loaned out if León gets ahead. Alternatively, León could start out with the United’s Under-21s as he gets acclimatised to his new life.
The Athletic writes that, since the start of pre-season earlier this month, León has exclusively trained with the first-team under the watch of Amorim and his staff. He will travel to Sweden for this weekend’s friendly against Leeds United and is expected to be on the tour of the United States too. All of those experiences and the exposure will likely define what status he will have when the 2025–26 season begins for real midway through next month.
The Athletic further notes that Amass is “thought to be ahead” of León for the time being, but that could all change depending on how the next few weeks unfold.
Going on loan is not seen as being part of the plan for León’s development at this stage. Sending him elsewhere before having chance to become accustomed to Manchester United seems counterproductive. It will be the Under-21s or the first-team for him, for at least this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Man Utd ‘Plan to Use’ Teenage Signing Diego Leon.