Leonel Jaime Went From Loan Gamble to Peñarol Starter in Just Four Days, and Diego Aguirre Is Already Comparing Him to Leo Fernández

Four days. That's all it took Leonel Jaime to go from being a loan gamble from River Plate to an undisputed starter at Peñarol. And now, with less than a month at the club, he already has Diego Aguirre talking about him as if he'd found a hidden gem.

The Uruguayan coach of the Carbonero didn't hold back praise on Las Voces del Fútbol (El Espectador Deportes) when discussing the impact of the 20 year old Argentine attacking midfielder. "He's different. He has the solutions of a top player," Aguirre said, making clear that Jaime's form is no mere hot streak.

What's striking is that his arrival didn't come with big expectations. Peñarol brought him in as a rotation option, someone with quality in one on one situations who could add some freshness to the squad. But the young man earned his spot almost immediately. "He arrived, played after four days and quickly earned his starting role because the fans embraced him too, he settled in really well and we're all enjoying his moment right now," the coach said.

A Signing Born of Luck and Scouting Work

Aguirre also explained how the deal came together. It all started with Emiliano, a member of Peñarol's scouting department, who put Jaime's name on the table. From there it went through Marcelo Rodríguez and up to the coach himself, who gave the green light almost without hesitation. The risk, Aguirre admits, was high: a young player with few minutes in the first division, coming from River's reserve team, is no guarantee of anything. "We got a bit lucky," he admitted, though spotting that opportunity clearly wasn't just chance.

Beyond the soccer, Aguirre also touched on the player's personality. He described him as humble, calm, the kind of guy who stays behind shooting at the goal after every training session just because he loves the ball. That low key nature, combined with his level on the field, made the locker room take to him quickly.

On his technical skill set, the coach was specific: "It's getting harder and harder in today's soccer to see real dribbling. And he has it." He pointed to the play against Central, where Jaime cut inside, left a defender behind and set up an assist that ended up breaking the game open.

Aguirre doesn't shy away from the comparison to Leo Fernández, the Uruguayan who was decisive for the Carbonero in 2024 through sheer individual quality. The logic is the same: in today's game, having a player who can break down a defense can be the difference between winning and drawing a tight match.

As for tactical instructions, the coach prefers not to tie his hands: "Do what you feel, drift wherever you want." He gives him a few pointers for when the team doesn't have the ball, but after that he leaves him total freedom to read the spaces, something Jaime seems to do naturally.

Asked about possible frustration among River fans over the loan, Aguirre was direct: the young player wasn't going to get playing time in a squad as stacked as the Millonario's. And he ventured a prediction about the future: "River is going to thank us for the player we're going to give back." In his view, the time at Peñarol will give Jaime the level of maturity he needs to return to Núñez with a real shot at becoming a starter.