Abegondo's gems are knocking on the door | OneFootball

The international break and the numerous absences in the first team open the door to Deportivo’s youth academy

The FIFA international break and the severe injury crisis affecting the Deportivo squad provided the perfect setting for the debut of three gems from the Ciudad Deportiva de Abegondo. Unable to count on internationals Giménez, Noubi, Ede and Nsongo Bil, in addition to injured players Noé, Marc Casadó, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Zakaria Eddahchouri, Antonio Hidalgo had to reshuffle his plans for the friendly against FC Penafiel by turning to the academy. In a context of necessity, youth players Frank Iglesias, Mauro Valeiro and Leandro Altieri seized the opportunity to wear the first-team shirt for the first time.

The only one of the three academy players to start in the lineup on Portuguese soil was Frank Iglesias. The midfielder from A Coruña, born in 2008 and recruited by the Herculean club at under-10 level, saw his meteoric rise through the youth ranks rewarded. Established this season in the Juvenil A under Miguel Figueira —where he began the División de Honor campaign with two goals in the opening match against Victoria—, Iglesias took on responsibility in the first team’s midfield after already being a key figure in the Juvenil B last season.

For their part, the second half brought the debuts of Mauro Valeiro and Leandro Altieri. Valeiro, born in 2009 and having just turned 17, became the youngest player on the pitch at the Municipal 25 de abril. An academy product since the under-8 stage and a Spain youth international —after making his under-18 debut at the end of August—, the midfielder is already a regular option for Manuel Pablo’s Fabril. Finally, A Coruña-born forward Leandro Altieri, of Uruguayan roots, came on in the closing stages in place of Yeremay Hernández, underlining the strong form he is in as an undisputed presence in the Juvenil A attack and confirming that the Abegondo academy continues to guarantee generational renewal for the blue-and-white side.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.