Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim revealed after the extra-time win over Lyon in the Europa League that he would give young players a chance to shine in the Premier League for the rest of the season.
The Portuguese tactician was true to his word in the clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Sunday, as Tyler Fredericson and Harry Amass both started.
Whilst it was a disappointing 1-0 defeat for the Reds, Amass caught the eye with a bright showing in the left wing-back position for the Red Devils.
Why Harry Amass is an exciting talent
The 18-year-old starlet played the full 90 minutes against Wolves and showcased his defensive strength and tenacity, winning nine of his 13 duels. He also completed 89% of his attempted passes and created one chance down the flank.
It was his third Premier League appearance and second start this season, whilst he also played 20 minutes off the bench against Lyon, and reporter Sam Luckhurst claimed “all signs” suggest that he can “compete” with Patrick Dorgu for a starting berth next term.
This all suggests that Amass is an exciting talent who could be a future star at Old Trafford, given his emergence in the first-team at such a young age, and his strong display against Wolves.
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However, Manchester United may have already signed a player who could ruin the young left-back’s development next season and moving forward, in the form of Diego Leon.
Why Diego Leon could ruin Harry Amass' development
The Red Devils snapped up the teenage defender from Cerro Porteno in Paraguay during the January transfer window for a fee that could reportedly rise to £7m.
Whilst it is not certain to go this way, Leon could be viewed as a better long-term option than Amass because the academy graduate is a more valuable asset to be sold for PSR.
Homegrown players represent pure profit for clubs because they were not signed for lavish transfer fees and this means that United could, in theory, cash in on players like Kobbie Mainoo and Amass to give themselves more room with PSR to make big signings in other positions.
Leon’s experience at first-team level at a similar age also suggests that the potential is there for him to arrive at Old Trafford in the summer as a danger to Amass’ place in the squad.
Appearances (starts)
19 (18)
3 (2)
Goals
2
0
Big chances created
1
0
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.4
1.6
Dribbled past per game
0.7x
0.7x
Error led to shot/goal
0
0
Duels won per game
4.4
4.7
As you can see in the table above, the 18-year-old talent has already played 19 times and started 18 games at league level, despite only turning 18 this month, and outperformed the English defender in several statistics.
Leon, who was once described as an “explosive” and “marauding” left-back, has had more time to adjust to playing first-team football and that could give him an edge over Amass heading into pre-season.
Therefore, the Paraguay youth international could ruin the United academy graduate’s development by arriving as a potential upgrade on him, at the same age.
It could be an interesting sub-plot to keep an eye on during the club’s pre-season tour because there could be a big battle on between them to impress Amorim.
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