Manchester United have high hopes for new signing Diego Leon, and the player has big ambitions too.
Diego Leon clinched his transfer to Manchester United when the deal was made official over the weekend.
Leon wants to make an immediate impact, and he will get a chance during pre-season, while United assess whether he should be part of the first team, under-21s, or head out on loan.
The Paraguayan prospect is an exciting talent, one of the best young players in world football, and he is excited to begin his Manchester United adventure.
Manchester United featuring Diego Leon prominently
One thing is very apparent already; Manchester United consider the acquisition of Diego Leon to be a big deal.
This transfer was agreed back in December, with Manchester United paying an initial £3.2 million to Cerro Porteno. The deal had to wait until Leon was 18 to be formalised.
United are now ready to shout about the transfer deal. Sometimes when young players are signed, they barely warrant a mention via the club media channels.
In this case, United have given Diego Leon the full treatment, showcasing his arrival with the team for pre-season.
MUTV has posted clips of Leon visiting the Old Trafford museum, reporting for training for his teammates, and gave him equal billing with new signing Matheus Cunha in a pre-season photo gallery.
United have also been posting shots of Leon taking part in pre-season training, with a caption, ‘making an impression’.
There are two reasons for this. One is that Manchester United have a lot of faith in Diego Leon’s ability and temperament to succeed at the club.
Leon has been touted as the ‘next Marcelo’, and if he can get near this potential, then the club have landed a bargain.
It’s too early to make a snap judgment, but the way United are treating Diego Leon early does suggest that the club are confident he has a real chance to become an important first team player.
United have very little to shout about
There is a more cynical view to take about Manchester United’s heavy promotion of the Diego Leon signing; there is not a lot else to shout about right now.
United announced the signing of Matheus Cunha a month ago. The early excitement has worn off a little.
The club hoped to parade Bryan Mbeumo as a new signing in time for pre-season. These hopes are stuck on hold.
United fans are frustrated with a saga that has dragged for more than a month, and this is far from the only thing that has gone wrong.
There is no sign of a centre-forward, and United have been struggling to sell players. None have departed the club so far.
The excitement generated by Cunha’s early arrival has left United using Leon to act as a placeholder for Mbeumo, to try and generate some buzz.
And it’s worthy, United rarely sign young players from South America. This kind of gamble on a young prospect is important to take.
But all the fanfare around Leon speaks volumes, with a nervous fanbase worried about a repeat of last season’s horror results, and subsequent struggle to reshape the squad.
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