Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has now insisted that two players impressed with their respective performances against Arsenal for one major reason.
Manchester United welcomed Arsenal to Old Trafford on Sunday for their first Premier League match of the 2025-26 campaign under manager Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils impressed with their overall performance on the weekend, but United fell short to Arsenal and the Gunners sealed all three Premier League points.
Riccardo Calafiori broke the deadlock inside the opening 15 minutes at Old Trafford and United were left chasing the match for a crucial equaliser against Arsenal.
However, United were unable to break down the resilient Arsenal defence and Ruben Amorim and Co walked away from the Premier League tie empty-handed.
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand reveals to Matheus Cunha ‘someone told’ him hidden detail about Man Utd ace, he is blown away by truth
Manchester United players take part in a minute's silence in the memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand drops a powerful assessment of Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw after Man Utd’s defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford
Leny Yoro started Sunday’s 1-0 defeat in the three-man backline on the right-hand side and the 19-year-old Frenchman saw out the full 90 minutes against Arsenal.
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Matthijs de Ligt was the central defender in Ruben Amorim’s tactical system and, much like Leny Yoro, played the whole match and impressed with his display.
Luke Shaw was on the left side of Matthijs de Ligt in defence and the 30-year-old England international made way for defender Harry Maguire late in the second half.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand insisted that Yoro and Luke Shaw – in his eyes at least – showed the major “foundation” in place in Amorim’s set-up.
“Everyone has been talking about the forwards, and that is rightly so, but I think there is a foundation behind good forward play,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“Lenny Yoro and Luke Shaw, especially [for] how comfortable they look now and how much improved they are.
“They look fitter, stronger, and more composed in defensive situations as well.”
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The importance of the Man Utd roles for Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw under Ruben Amorim and Rio Ferdinand’s clear-cut verdict
Leny Yoro has shown his versatility by playing on both flanks of the three-man backline, while Luke Shaw has been preferred in defence over a wing-back role.
Ferdinand made it clear that a “foundation” featuring the likes of Shaw and Yoro needs to be perfected to improve the build-up to attack after playing out from the back.
“That sets the foundation and springboard for us [Man United] to attack and for those prominent forwards that we are hopefully going to see more consistent output from,” the United legend continued.
United will now travel away from home for their next Premier League match of the new season, with Fulham hosting the Red Devils at Craven Cottage on Sunday.