Diego Leon was the fifth Man Utd signing made official last summer, went under the radar, but his latest admission shows he’s done the hard part already.
The expectations of fans from Diego Leon were never very high to begin with, since he was just a teenager who was arriving from Paraguay with barely any first-team pedigree.
Some pre-season heroics by him raised the excitement, also helped by Ruben Amorim picking him out for praise after games.
However, he has gone back to the shadows since the season began, and his latest admission shows why, also proving he’s done the hard part already.
Diego Leon humbles himself after bold pre-season promise
Nobody could mistake Leon for lacking any confidence before he arrived at Old Trafford because of what he said right away.
When he was about to board a flight to Manchester, Leon raised eyebrows by promising that he would defy everyone’s expectations at the club.
He said that people expect him to go on loan, but he will “kill it” in pre-season, and within one or two games, start playing with the senior team.
To his credit, he did catch the eye during the pre-season, but friendly matches played for fitness are a world apart from the intensity of competitive English games.
Leon struggled to play regularly, even for the Man Utd U21s side to start the season, let alone for the senior team, and was recently being benched by Tyrell Malacia for the U21s.
This rollercoaster experience has clearly humbled him, as he has now said that he acknowledges he needs to do more to be ready for the league.
He admitted that he needs to improve ‘a lot of things’, but still believes in his ability to eventually play for the first team.
In that humility lies his biggest growth, and it shows he has done the hard part already.
Leon has done the hard part at Man Utd
If Leon’s comments before joining United were a sign of youthful exuberance, his latest admission after getting a reality check is a sign of growth.
Backing yourself to do the impossible is a creditable trait, but admitting when and why it didn’t happen is equally important afterwards.
Leon has done the hard part of acclimatising to English football by playing some academy games and getting settled in the area.
The first season was always going to pan out this way, barring something spectacular, which Leon was backing himself to do.
However, there is a reason why even seasoned professionals wilt under the glare of Old Trafford, so Leon easing himself into it was the right move.
Now that he’s managed to come through that difficult spell and gained perspective over his exuberance, he should have the perfect mix of confidence and humility to make a mark at the club.
The next pre-season will be the true test of where Leon is as a player.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/g9AjaXz