Man Utd youngster Diego Leon has featured for the academy across recent weeks to gain experience in England.
Diego Leon arrived in the summer.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Manchester United are stepping up Diego Leon’s minutes as he progresses in academy fixtures.
Leon completed a medical to finalise his move from Paraguay side Cerro Porteno in January, but the deal outlined that he would move to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.
United agreed a £3.3million fee, rising to £7m with add-ons, to sign the young defender.
The 18-year-old impressed coaches at Carrington upon his arrival and was named in the pre-season tour squad. Ruben Amorim has named Leon in matchday squads against Grimsby Town, Manchester City, Brentford and Sunderland this season, but he has not made his senior debut.
In August, there was a sense among academy staff that Leon would benefit from getting minutes in his legs during youth matches when he had been exclusively working with the first-team.
Leon made his first appearance for the academy in a friendly shortly afterwards. The left-back is still considered raw and needs time to adapt to English football after his summer arrival.
Under-21 manager Travis Binnion has coached Leon over the last six weeks.
Binnion was recently asked about Leon and explained: “It is evident for all to see he has some real qualities and some strong foundations to his game that he has to build on.
“He is aware, we are all aware, he has stuff to work on but to be fair to the kid, he has not played a full 90 minutes yet. We will be looking to tick that off pretty soon and that will be really good for him.
“If he can get a run of 90 minutes, then it is fair to look at his game and see where he is at. At this moment in time he has shown real glimpses of promise and has fitted in with the group really well.”
Leon made his international debut for Paraguay during the October international break.
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