Leny Yoro joined Manchester United from Lille in the 2024 summer transfer windowplaceholder image
Leny Yoro joined Manchester United from Lille in the 2024 summer transfer window | Manchester United via Getty Images
Man Utd pulled off a transfer coup when they signed the wonderkid last year and he is getting better with every match.
At the age of 18, Leny Yoro was presented with a very welcome transfer dilemma: sign for Manchester United now or wait for Real Madrid. He chose United.
Madrid made it clear they would only wait a year to sign the talented teenager as a free agent when his Lille contract expired, while United could give him a guaranteed move right then. It is no secret that Madrid was initially his preferred destination, while Liverpool also explored a deal but could not promise him the playing time he had at Old Trafford.
Rio Ferdinand was deployed to convince Yoro he would be joining the right club, while United put great emphasis on the role he would play alongside other youngsters. Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund were all mentioned for their role in the shock FA Cup final victory over Man City. By next year, Yoro might be the only one left standing.
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While last season was one of failure for the club, it was one of progress for Yoro. He made 33 appearances across all competitions and is now a mainstay in their three-man defence under Ruben Amorim. It might not have been the ideal start, but he has already learned so much from his time at the club.
"I said a couple of times, even with last season, I never had this feeling of regret or something like this," Yoro told Manchester World. "I know Manchester United, I know sometimes you can have a bad season, but this club is a top club, so you cannot have doubts about this. I know the project of the club also before I came. Of course I cannot expect the first year to finish in 15th position. These are some things you need to face also. But you have the director of the club, the coach, all the players, they're here to push you every day. You have confidence in this club. You need to put your heads up every day and try to do your best."
The conversation naturally gravitates towards his decision to join the club and the interest from Real Madrid. Yoro is quick to point out they were not the only side that wanted him before he chose United.
"Yeah, I know the media, sometimes there's some information that's not completely true sometimes," he added. "This is some choice you need to make in your career. I've had a couple of clubs, not just Madrid or United, I had a lot of clubs. Today my choice is Manchester, so I'm really happy with this. I know some people talked about this last year because of the results. I can understand them, but honestly, it's my choice, my career. I know what I'm doing, and I'm just going to be better in the future."
When he completed his move to Manchester, the sales pitch was to play in a back-four under Erik ten Hag. A few months later, he was sacked, and Ruben Amorim arrived. For all the talk of system, the French defender has been one of the biggest beneficiaries from the formation change and the amount of game time he has had as part of a back three.
"I have no problem with the system," Yoro explained. "I say a couple of times I like to play with three defenders, have more freedom. It's not about the system. You can see we won games against back four and things like this. Last year people were saying this because of the results, but you can see this year it's better than last year, but we have the same system. We just need to work on small things. But for me, I have no preference. I can play both, and if I'm on the pitch I'm happy.”
Yoro will be on the pitch again when United face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend. He played the entirety of the Europa League final defeat to them back in May and acknowledges an element of revenge will be on the cards.
"Everyone knows what happened in the final, so I think this game can be a good game for us to prove that maybe the final can have another result. Every game is important for us. This one is not more important than the other one, but we want to win every game.
"I think the team now is in good momentum. We drew the last game, but before this we won, I think, three games in a row. We know we can do better than last game, but we're still in good momentum. We're still confident. Like you said, this game against Tottenham will be important for us to go into the international break with three points. This is going to help us to be in the top of the league, so we need to win this game."
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