York United FC is excited to announce the signing of Canadian defender Noah Abatneh.

The 18-year-old – a native of Toronto, Ont – joins on a one-year contract, plus club options, and arrives after a lengthy spell in Italy.

Since 2020, Abatneh has been with the Lazio academy, initially signing for the Under-17s and progressing all the way to the Under-19 program. In September 2022, he was loaned to Serie D side FC Lamezia Terme and played five senior games while most recently, Abatneh enjoyed another loan spell in the same division – this time with AC Campodarsego – and made four senior appearances for the side before injury curtailed his contributions.

Before signing with Lazio, Abatneh spent time with ASD Savio Calcio and the AS Roma underage setup. Prior to his move to Europe, he had fine-tuned his football development at the Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Soccer Club, initially joining when he was a child. Always hotly-tipped as a bright talent, Abatneh travelled to London and trained with Arsenal and Fulham when he was just nine years old.

Abatneh was part of the Canada squad that featured at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in June of last year, starting at right-back in the team’s opening group game win over Cuba.

“Noah is a player who has had a really interesting football journey so far,” says Angus McNab, York United FC’s CEO/President and GM.

“He moved to Europe with his family and worked hard to earn opportunities at very prestigious, top-tier clubs while in Rome. His experience playing senior football in Serie D, as well as his academy training, is certainly an asset to us. We’re excited to watch his development and believe he can add a lot to the squad with his versatility right across the back four.”

For Abatneh, he was drawn to the club’s pedigree of providing meaningful minutes to young players and can’t wait to get started.

“I’ve watched the CPL grow as a league and I’m very happy to come back home to Toronto and to join a club that gives opportunities to young players,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and trying to improve every day in training.”