Rio Ferdinand has placed the microscope on a key weakness of Leny Yoro after watching the Manchester United defender in action in the 2025-26 season.
Leny Yoro has endured a Premier League campaign of highs and lows under former Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim and interim head coach Michael Carrick.
The 20-year-old Frenchman played regularly under former United manager Ruben Amorim, but Yoro’s performances were inconsistent in the three-man backline.
Yoro has been starting in recent weeks under Michael Carrick alongside Harry Maguire after key defender Lisandro Martinez suffered a calf injury last month.
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Leny Yoro looks on during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James' Park in 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
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Rio Ferdinand thinks Leny Yoro’s physicality is not at the level where the Man Utd ace meets the Premier League standards
Leny Yoro has started and played the full 90 minutes of each of Manchester United’s last three Premier League matches under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
The former Lille centre-back has featured 27 times across all competitions for Man Utd in his second season at Old Trafford and has picked up one assist so far.
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Yoro impressed in his debut season at United under Ruben Amorim after his 2024 move from Lille, but the Red Devils talent has not hit the same levels this season.
Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand has insisted that Yoro must be more tactically aware of the battles he chooses to commit to physically on the pitch.
“Leny Yoro right now is trying to fight too many fights in a game, when physically he’s not starting at the same place,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“They’re all much more physically developed. Most of the players he’s playing against and number nines especially are stronger than him.
“So, then you’ve got to pick your battles. Pick your duel. Which one are you actually going to have if you’ve got a 60-40 in your favour? Then you go all in.”
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Patrick Dorgu celebrates with his teammates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
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Rio Ferdinand breaks down the importance of Michael Carrick’s Man Utd coaching staff for Leny Yoro’s strength development
Yoro’s early part of his career, both youth level and professional, had been spent with Ligue 1 outfit Lille before the Red Devils made their stunning move for him.
Ferdinand insisted that first-team coaches Jonny Evans and Jonathan Woodgate will play a key part in improving Yoro’s lack of physicality at Man Utd right now.
“When you’re a 50-50 or you’re a 60-40 the other way, if you’re not one of those who’s physically dominant like Leny Yoro right now, you pick your punches, right?” Ferdinand added.
“If he goes back where that ball came from, he lays it off and he goes to spin, but I’ve got a yard on him, you’ve done your job.
“But these are just coaching points, I think. And I think Jonny Evans being there as a coach, Jonathan Woodgate being there as a coach. I think these are the little details.”
United paid an initial fee of £52.18m, including agreeing to a further £6.73m in add-ons, to bring Yoro to England from France when he was only 18 years old in 2024.
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