Manchester United has confirmed one player will leave in the winter transfer window! La Jazz is loaned to a Ligue 1 club for development, as Amrabat has no use for him.

Manchester United has resolved to send 18-year-old Paraguayan left-back Diego León on loan, with him joining Ligue 1 club Nice in January and immediately becoming part of their senior squad. The transfer involved minimal negotiation because both teams are owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, making it more of an internal arrangement.

This season, Manchester United is not competing in European tournaments, so the transfer restrictions seen last year do not apply. Previously, both United and Nice participated in the Europa League, leading UEFA to ban player exchanges between them until September 2025. This blocked a potential transfer of French defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who eventually moved to West Ham instead.

León was confirmed to join Manchester United at the end of last year but had to wait until after his 18th birthday to officially sign this summer. His initial transfer fee was £3.2 million, potentially rising to £7 million with add-ons. However, this former Porteno youngster has yet to make a first-team appearance for United; after training and playing briefly with the senior squad early in the season, he was relegated to Travis Binnion’s Manchester United U21 team competing in the Premier League 2.

Having just arrived in European football, León understands that staying at Manchester United playing only youth matches holds little value, so he has actively pushed for a loan move in the winter window to gain experience. The club also believes this is the best way to accelerate his development. Although the left wing-back options at United are not ideal, players like Patrick Doku and Diogo Dalot are still far ahead of the inexperienced León.

Portuguese international Dalot returned to the starting lineup in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, performing well, especially with his powerful throw-ins that created threats and nearly allowed Casemiro to score early. Notably, since joining United from Porto in the summer of 2018, this match marked his 150th Premier League appearance for the Red Devils. Considering he spent a season on loan at AC Milan, this is an impressive milestone.

It should be noted that Luke Shaw, who has been with Manchester United for 11 years, also reached his 300th appearance milestone in the same game. Shaw has made 211 Premier League appearances, only 61 more than Dalot, despite having been at the club five years longer. Across all competitions, Dalot has played 222 times for United, 78 fewer than Shaw.

Dalot has become the third Portuguese player with the most appearances for Manchester United, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo’s 236 and Bruno Fernandes’s 207, surpassing Nani’s 147. After the match, Dalot said: "I’m very happy to reach this important milestone in the world’s top league. Throughout my life, both as a person and a player, I strive to keep improving. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved but aware I’m only 26 with many goals ahead. At the same time, I enjoy every moment."

With Lisandro Martínez’s return, Luke Shaw can occasionally revert to his original position on the left side, which will increase competition on that flank. Compared to León, Amrabat currently trusts Tyrell Malacia more; the Dutchman has repeatedly been included on the bench instead of León.

Therefore, for young León, a loan move in January seems like the perfect option, offering him the chance to play senior professional football and speed up his development. When Amrabat reassesses player abilities in next summer’s preseason, León can aim to have gained more experience and be stronger.

Nice currently ranks tenth in Ligue 1 and still participates in the Europa League. However, the team has been in terrible form lately, suffering six consecutive defeats across all competitions. León likely won’t find a peaceful environment to settle in and will face new challenges.