Manchester United fans have yet to see summer signing Diego León in first-team action, with the Paraguayan defender debuting for his senior national team before appearing in a Premier League match.
In a growing trend for European clubs scouring South America for young talent, United secured the pre-arranged transfer of León at the start of 2025. Turning 18-years-old in the spring, the left back eventually made the switch to Manchester in the first week of July.
Aside from 45 minutes against Liverpool in a Premier League 2 game in September, León hasn’t generally been playing for United’s Under-21 team either. The plan from the start has always been for him to primarily train with the first-team, even if that means not getting much actual match practice.
Still, he was named in Paraguay’s senior squad for this month’s international break. León was an unused substitute for their first friendly of the October window against Japan, but he made his debut in the subsequent clash with South Korea in Seoul. The young defender played the final nine minutes, plus stoppage time, of the 2–0 defeat.
