Manchester United have revealed what Ruben Amorim’s immediate reaction was after watching Diego Leon on his first day of training at Carrington.
Ruben Amorim’s squad returned to Carrington on Monday morning to begin their preparations for the 2025/26 season.
Following nearly two weeks of training at their base, Manchester United will embark on a five-match pre-season tour. The tour kicks off in Sweden with a clash against long-standing rivals Leeds at the Strawberry Arena.
From there, United will travel to the United States for games against West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton. They’ll conclude their pre-season campaign at Old Trafford with a friendly against Fiorentina—a match that will mark the return of former goalkeeper David de Gea.
The Premier League has confirmed that United will open the new season with a headline home fixture against Arsenal on Sunday, 17 August, with kick-off scheduled for 16:30 BST.
Amorim’s immediate reaction to Leon in training
Monday was also the first day of training for United’s two newest signings, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon, and both of them were keen to impress.
Leon, 18, was announced as a new United player last week, joining the club from Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño in a deal worth up to £7 million.
Before his arrival in England, the left-back made it clear during interviews that he wanted to hit the ground running at Old Trafford and prove to his abilities to Amorim.
He has seemingly made a good start on that promise after his first day of training as the club’s media team detailed that Monday session on their website.
Club reporter Harry Robinson wrote: “Alongside the Academy players, who have had these training opportunities before, Leon looked eager to impress, showing a great intensity which earned a big beam from Amorim.
“Players often look back on their first day of training at United and recall the intensity and quality – and this was an intense session. Ruben made an effort to use some Spanish phrases with Leon, too. The Paraguayan full-back is making good strides in his English, but will have appreciated that.”
Leon set for chance vs Leeds
Amorim responded well to the intensity shown by Leon on the training pitch and it is likely that the head coach will look to test the teenager in a match environment very soon.
There are no guarantees that Leon travels to the United States for the club’s pre-season tour, but he is set to play in the opening friendly game against Leeds in Sweden.
But after making a good first impression, the South American will be eyeing a spot on the tour and he could end up getting a seat on the plane if he continues to impress Amorim.
The Reds face Leeds on 19 July before playing their first game on tour in the United States against West Ham on 27 July.
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