Premier League giants Manchester United have signed one of the most sought-after teenagers in the world, Leny Yoro, from Lille. The 18-year-old center-back has signed a five-year contract with the club with the option to extend his stay for an additional year.
Continue reading to get all the must-have information about the Manchester United newboy.
Leny Yoro Is Honored To Join Manchester United
Signing for record 20-time English champions, Manchester United, is no mean feat, with only the most gifted getting the opportunity. The gravity of this move is not lost on Yoro, and he is experiencing this career-turning moment with humility.
In his first interview as a Manchester United player, Yoro said:
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honor.
“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.”
According to AP News, Manchester United have splurged €62 million ($68 million) to get their man. They will also pay Lille up to $8 million in add-ons if Yoro fulfills some performance-related goals.
How Does Yoro Operate?
Yoro by trait is a strong and reliable defender. The right-footed central defender operates as a right-center-back in a back-four system. He is adept at defending the central area and rarely leaves his post, often serving as the last man at the back. Yoro is excellent at one-on-one duels and does not allow attackers to turn him. Even when he fails to win the ball back, the Frenchman does enough to destabilize his opponent, allowing enough time for the cavalry to arrive.
Yoro is comfortable in possession. However, he is not one to attempt ambitious defense-breaking passes. Most of his passes are short and to either the pivot or his defensive partners. Of course, Lille’s system did not demand this aspect of the game from him. Erik ten Hag could very well make him better at playing longer, vertical passes.
A Look At Yoro’s Career At Lille
Yoro joined Lille’s youth system from Villeneuve d’Ascq Metropole in 2017. He rose through the ranks over the following years and made his Ligue 1 debut in May 2022, aged 16 years, six months and one day. He earned his first-team contract in July 2022.
Over the following couple of seasons, he clocked 59 appearances for the club, scoring thrice and claiming an assist. Yoro proved to be one of Lille’s best players in the 2023-24 season, helping them finish fourth in the Ligue 1 rankings. At the end of the campaign, Yoro deservedly featured in Ligue 1’s team of the season.
We have only seen Yoro fulfill a fraction of his potential. It will be fascinating to see him develop into a world-class defender under the tutelage of Ten Hag.
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