The Hill Dickinson Stadium saw Leny Yoro finally announce himself as a Premier League central defender as Manchester United’s number 15 took on James Tarkowski and stood his ground.
As much as talent is a factor in deciding which players become elite, in terms of Premier League defenders, physicality plays a massive role, and this is an area Leny Yoro has often been criticised.
Harry Maguire’s physicality has him ahead of Yoro, while the Frenchman was often suspect against more physical opposition, but those days have ended.
Yoro was excellent against West Ham two weeks ago, and now against Everton, he was top-class again in the starting line-up during a particularly gruelling battle.
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Leny Yoro passes brutal physical test against Everton
Everton made Manchester United work for the three points on Monday night. While United did get all three points, it took grit and fight from the players to secure this.
Manchester United defend a corner against Everton.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Everton’s plan from a corner was basically like watching a repetitive version of the WWE’s Royal Rumble, a real fight, with Senne Lammens holding his head high, handling it excellently, as did Yoro.
Within this melee in the six-yard box, Yoro and James Tarkowski clashed numerous times, with United’s young defender tasked with helping protect Lammens from the menacing centre-back’s 81kg frame.
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Yoro wasn’t perfect here, as Tarkowski put him on the floor once in the 83rd minute, prompting Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw to defend the Frenchman, pushing the Everton captain, but he wasn’t deterred.
Instead, he got back up and immediately reengaged with Tarkowski to defend the corner.
This moment proves Yoro’s toughness and increased physicality against one of the league’s most physical players. It answered a lot of questions about his game.
Most impressively, Yoro managed to keep Tarkowski from getting to the deliveries or causing much danger without even making a foul, showing he didn’t need underhanded tactics. He could perfectly manage his man.
What is your message to Michael Carrick after the win vs Everton?
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How Leny Yoro performed for Manchester United
Yoro was thrust into the starting line-up against the Toffees, with Lisandro Martinez out injured, and he grabbed this chance with both hands.
Despite a shaky start, it ended up being one of Yoro’s best and most comfortable performances, and the stats back up the eye test.
49/56 passes completed
68 touches
3/3 accurate long balls
8 defensive contributions
1 tackle
1 block
4 clearances
2 headed clearances
2 interceptions
5 recoveries
2/2 ground duels won
This was a very solid display by Yoro, handling practically anything that Everton threw at him, and barring some long shots, the Toffees never looked like scoring, even with their underwhelming set-pieces.
Now, if he can do it again against Palace, he might be hard for Carrick to drop.
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