Diego Leon was on target for Cerro Porteno in their Copa Libertadores win over Monagas SC as the Manchester United transfer target sent a message to Ruben Amorim
Teenage star Diego Leon kicked off his season with a goal for current club Cerro Porteno in their Copa Libertadores victory.
The 17-year-old has already agreed to join Manchester United in a £3.3million deal, which could rise to £7million with add-ons. He will stay in Paraguay until July.
Leon was absent from their comfortable 4-0 first-leg triumph over their Venezuelan rivals, but the left-back returned and netted the first goal in their 3-1 win, propelling them into the next round. He found himself with plenty of room inside the Mongas 18-yard box before striking low into the bottom right corner off the inside of the post with the kind of finish Ruben Amorim will be excited by.
Last month, he was given a tour of Carrington and Old Trafford following his United medical and was snapped alongside Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho in the training ground canteen. In addition to meeting two of Amorim’s team’s stars, he also had a photo op with Kevin de Bruyne after running into the Manchester City midfielder during his medical at a private healthcare facility.
Leon is one of the latest additions in the North West as United aim to strengthen their squad for the future with potential talents.
United are looking into more deals in South America for the continent’s top young talent – something rivals City have already had joy with, most notably in the case of the now-Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, while Africa has also been targeted, with Sekou Kone signed from Malian side Guidars in August.
The 18 year old has so far been a part of the United youth squad, but was included on the first-team bench during their recent visits to Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.
A spate of injuries at Carrington has paved the way for some of the younger players to get closer to the first team, with a number of talents on the bench, including Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi.
Obi made his Premier League debut in a brief cameo at Tottenham recently, and could feature in the FA Cup fifth round against Fulham on Sunday.
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