Michael Carrick has backed Leny Yoro to have a big future at Manchester United and dismissed the idea that the young defender needs to prove himself by a certain deadline.
Yoro and Ayden Heaven came in for criticism after United’s 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton, but Carrick was unwilling to single either player out after a difficult night.
The Manchester United boss actually felt the pair started the game well and believes setbacks like this are part of their development.
“I thought they started really well actually in the game. I thought we started really well, so it’s not about them,” Carrick said ahead of the Fulham game.
Carrick insists there is no deadline for Leny Yoro
Yoro’s age was central to Carrick’s response. The Frenchman is now 20 and is entering his third season at United, but the manager doesn’t believe that means expectations should suddenly become a cut-off point.
“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.”
Michael Carrick also pointed out how demanding the centre-back position is, particularly for such a young player at a club like United.
“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.”
The manager was also keen to avoid making a snap judgment based on one poor performance.
“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.”
Carrick remains confident in Yoro and believes the defender has plenty of time to develop into the player United expect him to become.
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