58 touches, 5 shots, 2 key passes: 17yo wonderkid who’s joining United shines on Copa Libertadores debut | OneFootball

Paraguayan wonderkid Diego Leon delivered a fantastic performance during Cerro Porteno’s 3-1 win over Monagas in the Copa Libertadores second round on Thursday night.

The 17-year-old was signed by Manchester United during the winter transfer window but could not join the club immediately due to Brexit rules over under-18 players.

The left-back won’t be reporting at United until pre-season, but he has provided a glimpse of his potential after playing a key part in Porteno’s win over Monagas.

Leon played his first Copa Libertadores game yesterday. He opened the scoring for Porteno with a low hard finish into the bottom right corner. He had five attempts on goal over 90 minutes.

The youngster also completed two tackles, two clearances while winning two duels. He had 58 touches in the game with 29 successful passes. Leon also created two big chances for his teammates.

Leon made a big impression in his continental competition debut for Porteno. United certainly have a fantastic talent in their hands and he should only get better with age.

With the poor injury record of Luke Shaw in recent years, there is a possibility that he could be sold during the summer transfer window. Tyrell Malacia could head for the exit door too.

Leon could be seen as a potential competitor at left wing-back. He may not necessarily start games with the presence of Patrick Dorgu, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui in the squad.

However, he could get valuable minutes off the bench during the initial months. If he were to impress significantly, manager Ruben Amorim may not shy away from starting him.

Amorim had no doubts over picking 17-year-old Geovany Quenda at right wing-back for Sporting CP. Hence, we can’t rule out Leon’s prospects of starting for United next season.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .