Manager Michael Carrick has thrown his full support behind young defender Leny Yoro.
Leny Yoro put in a shaky performance during the 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek.
The 20-year-old started at the heart of defence alongside Ayden Heaven, but the pair struggled to find their footing as United crashed out of the Carabao Cup in the third round.
Carrick was asked in his press conference whether Yoro had reached a point where he needed to step up and start delivering consistently.
He replied: “No, he’s 20, Leny, you know? And again, in context, he’s got a fantastic future ahead of him and a lot of potential, and he’s learning, he’s developing. To be at this club in place as a centre-back at such a young age, it’s a challenging position.
“Sometimes it might be 20, sometimes you see players 22, 23, 24 where they start developing. So there’s definitely no cut-off point. He’s just got to keep progressing and moving in the right direction, wanting to learn, keep improving, getting more opportunities.
“He’s doing a lot of good things, and I think we’ve got to be careful again, and I certainly won’t [be] making knee-jerk decisions on certain players just because of one game or one half or one moment in a game, and we’ve got a lot of belief in Leny for sure.”
Yoro has a bright future but needs the right guidance
Yoro has endured his share of ups and downs during his first two years at Old Trafford.
However, inconsistency is hardly unusual for a young defender learning his trade at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Yoro is now entering his third season at United, which may lead some to believe that he should already have established himself as one of the club’s best centre-backs.
Those people are missing a key point that he is still only 20 years old and could have several years of development ahead of him before reaching his peak.
There is no denying that Yoro needed to be better against Brighton, but one poor performance should not suddenly define his career at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman possesses many of the qualities required to develop into one of the elite centre-backs of his generation.
His recovery pace is already a major asset, while he has also made significant physical strides over the past two years.
At times, Yoro can be overly aggressive with his challenges near the halfway line, but that is an area that can be refined through the right coaching and guidance.
With Carrick continuing to place his faith in him, Yoro has the opportunity to turn his raw potential into consistent performances at the highest level.
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