A Manchester United talent has earned their first senior call-up to their national side as league action pauses for the October international break.
Manchester United capped off their latest run of fixtures with an impressive 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford.
First-half strikes from Mason Mount and Benjamin Šeško sealed the win for the Reds on Saturday afternoon, lifting spirits around the club as they head into the October international break on a season high.
One player who was in the squad but didn’t feature on the day was Diego León, with the Paraguayan featuring on the bench for the third time this season, but yet to feature as of yet.
Signed in January, United officially signed the 18-year-old in the summer, immediately joining the pre-season under Rúben Amorim.
Diego León earns first senior call-up
Despite not yet making his official first-team debut, León has found himself in limbo at the club, understandably not playing for the first team yet as he adjusts to life in England, but also seemingly struggling with the Under-21s. He started against Liverpool’s academy last month and his cameo was described as ‘very tough’.
Despite this, he is reportedly becoming a popular member of the first team even though he can’t speak or understand English very well, a positive sign for the 18-year-old.
As reported by ManUtd.com, after impressing for his country’s U20s side, the senior coach has opted to include León in Paraguay’s 22-man squad for the two international fixtures against Japan and South Korea.
Having qualified for their first World Cup finals in 16 years, United’s new left-back will be desperate to make his senior debut and attempt to establish himself in the side before the biggest international tournament gets underway next summer.
León the potential first signing of a new transfer strategy
The Paraguayan left-back is certainly seen as one for the future, with Amorim clearly taking his time with the 18-year-old as he adapts to life in Manchester.
United have already completed a similar deal as they did with León, announcing the signing of the talented midfielder Cristian Orozco, who will officially join next summer when he turns 18.
After years of United spending big on established players, who, on the whole, haven’t lived up to their price tag, the signings of these two South American talents could be a sign of a new transfer policy of signing young players for a small fee. Even if they don’t fulfil their full potential, United would still be able to recoup a decent percentage of the fee owing to their age.
United have already signed young players such as Leny Yoro, Senne Lammens and Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, but targeting South America in particular could prove to be a good option for the club to pursue.
That region in particular has proved to be fruitful for Premier League side Brighton, who signed the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo, Facundo Buanonotte and Julio Enciso directly from South America, with all four proving to be great successes for the club.
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