Man Utd looking to increase Leon's workload

Diego Leon (centre) celebrates his first Manchester United goal during the Premier League 2 victory against Tottenham at Leigh on 25 October

Manchester United Under-21 chief Travis Binnion feels Paraguay defender Diego Leon needs to get a succession of 90-minute games under his belt for the next stage in his development.

Leon struggled for game time in his early weeks at United as he remained within Ruben Amorim's first-team squad without making his senior debut.

The 18-year-old struggled on his Premier League 2 bow at Liverpool on 21 September but looked much better as he played three games in the space of eight days at the end of last month, which included a superb goal against Tottenham at Leigh Sports Village on 25 October.

It remains to be seen whether he will be involved in the EFL Trophy encounter with Notts County on Tuesday but after making his senior international debut against South Korea in Paraguay's last match, he seems likely to be handed another call-up for this month's friendlies with the United States and Mexico.

On his return, United's Under-21 side has matches in the National League Cup and Premier League International Cup, which offer Leon the best opportunity to step up his work.

"It is evident for all to see he has some real qualities and some strong foundations to his game that he has to build on," said Binnion.

"He is aware, we are all aware, he has stuff to work on but to be fair to the kid, he has not played a full 90 minutes yet.

"We will be looking to tick that off pretty soon and that will be really good for him.

"If he can get a run of 90 minutes, then it is fair to look at his game and see where he is at.

"At this moment in time he has shown real glimpses of promise and has fitted in with the group really well."