Who is Hugo Novoa? RB Leipzig's winger coveted by Man Utd and Barcelona

Stuart Telford

6 Oct 2022 13:20 BST
4 min read

Hugo Novoa in action for Leipzig. — © ProShots

Hugo Novoa is RB Leipzig's youngest ever Bundesliga goalscorer, but what else is there to know about the Spain under-21 winger?

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Leipzig plucked Novoa from Deportivo La Coruna's youth academy in the summer of 2019 for just €400,000, and he has been steadily growing in influence despite his tender 19 years and a global pandemic disrupting his progress.

He may have the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Dominik Szoboszlai and now Timo Werner for competition in the wide areas of Leipzig's attack, but Novoa is now a bona fide member of the first-team squad, featuring in six games in all competitions so far this season.

He made his Spain under-21 debut in July, assisting one of their goals in a 7-1 win over Malta in UEFA European U21 Championship qualifying, and opened his account for La Rojita last month as they beat Norway 3-0, with a host of scouts from the Premier League and beyond watching on.

"Alexa, define impact sub."

Alexa: Just ask Jesse Marsch...

🔄 Yussuf #Poulsen ⚽🅰
🔄 Dominik #Szoboszlai ⚽🅰
🔄 Hugo #Novoa ⚽

🔴⚪ #WeAreLeipzig pic.twitter.com/Yk0KnyXfN3
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) October 26, 2021

What position does Novoa play in?

A strapping 6'0 winger, Novoa can also lead the line, but he is happiest lining up slightly deeper, normally on the right, from where he can take advantage of his pace with late runs into the box.

He has played across midfield and attack for the age group teams at Leipzig, and was even tested out at full-back when Julian Nagelsmann, now of Bayern Munich, was still at the club.

How good is Novoa?

The future looks bright for Novoa, whose decision-making is improving all the time, complementing his natural physical attributes.

He had five goals and eight assists in 18 Under-17 Bundesliga North/Northeast games in 2019/20 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted all youth football, and was promoted to the first team after four goals in three games when things resumed.

He came off the bench to score in his Bundesliga debut last October, scoring the final goal in a 4-1 win. Aged exactly 18 years and nine months, he became the Red Bull-backed club's youngest ever scorer in the German top flight.

What clubs are interested in Novoa?

Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea scouts were spotted at the recent Spain U21 victory over Norway at Huesca's Estadio El Alcoraz, while Barcelona and Real Madrid have also been monitoring his progress.

Novoa himself has spoken of his desire to one day play for Deportivo again, but the one-time Spanish champions are currently in the third tier of Spanish football, and Novoa's current trajectory means that might have to happen in the autumn of his career.