Diego Leon joined Man Utd in July and the teenager has been around the first-team squad this season without yet making his debut.
Diego Leon in first-team training at Manchester United
Diego Leon trains with the Manchester United first-team
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Michael Carrick has told Manchester United's teenage left-back Diego Leon that he needs to improve tactically and offer more of an attacking threat as the youngster bids to force his way into the first-team at Old Trafford.
United completed the signing of the 18-year-old Leon from the Paraguayan side Cerro Porteno in July for a fee of £3.3million, rising to £7million with add-ons.
He made the bench four times under Ruben Amorim earlier in the season and is now continuing his development with the Under-21s, starting six of the last seven Premier League 2 fixtures.
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Leon admits he was surprised by the intensity of the training sessions as he adapted to life at United after his summer switch, but since Carrick's appointment in January, the head coach has spoken to him and highlighted areas he can still improve to force his way into the picture at first-team level.
"He told me to stay calm, to try to improve tactically and to attack more often, but when I attack I also have to come back with the same intensity," Leon told Versus Sports.
"It's pretty clear that I still have a way to go. I lack maturity, the physical aspect, the tactical and technical aspects, but I feel like I'm improving. They tell me to stay calm and that it's quite normal. They tell me that coming from Paraguay makes a huge difference. The Premier League isn't easy.
“The thing that surprised me the most was the intensity. On the first day we did a small-sided game. I went to press a player and before I could even get close, the ball was already behind me again. The speed of play forced him to adapt quickly. It was very fast. I realised straight away how big the difference is."
Moving to Manchester from Paraguay for a teenager also presented its difficulties and Leon admits it has taken time to adapt to his new home.
He struggled with the language soon after arriving, but has been taking English lessons and recently impressed his teammates by holding a long conversation with them.
“At the beginning it was a bit difficult, honestly," he said. "When I first arrived I didn’t understand any English. My girlfriend and I would go out and people would speak to us, and I felt very uncomfortable because they were talking and we didn’t understand anything.
"When I arrived at training the players wanted to talk to me and I couldn’t speak with them. That bothered me quite a lot. Then I told myself: I have to learn English."