Leeds United youngster Diogo Monteiro has celebrated captaining his Portugal youth side to the International Tournament of Lisbon trophy after a draw against England U18 meant they were winners of the competition.
The defender – born in 2005 – joined the Whites in January from Servette in Switzerland’s first division, for a fee of £1 million. Monteiro was born in Switzerland, but his Portuguese roots mean he was eligible for their national side's set-up.
He had already played a number of senior first-team games in Switzerland but has only featured so far for the Under 21’s in West Yorkshire, starting in nine of the last 10 Premier League 2 games.
In a relatively short time at Elland Road, he helped the Under 21’s side to promotion from their division. Paco Gallardo’s side were able to win the play-offs by beating Nottingham Forest Under 21 side 3-0.
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Since the end of the season came, Monteiro had hoped for more success in the International Tournament of Lisbon, and he found it.
Celebrating his team’s victory on Instagram, Monteiro posted a picture of him and his side lifting the trophy with the caption, “End of the selection stage with a first place. Vacation time after a long season.”
But where will Monteiro be playing next season? Speculation is rife that he could play a part in the first team for the Whites next season.
Players such as Robin Koch and Diego Llorente may well leave the club this summer after relegation to the Championship. This could leave the door open for the 18-year-old to break into the first team.
Leeds had the joint-worst defence in the Premier League last season so giving a chance to a youth player may well be worth the risk for an already leaky backline.
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