Leny Yoro didn’t have the easiest start at Manchester United.
Yet another Paris-born football talent, the defender progressed significantly to attract attention from Real Madrid but joined United last summer despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Erik ten Hag. Then, he injured his ankle during pre-season in Los Angeles, keeping him out until December 2024.
A year on, Yoro can be relieved that he is well-placed to continue his rise towards becoming one of United’s most important players. Thanks to a tailored strength, conditioning and nutrition programme, the 19-year-old defender has bulked up. After the final game of his side’s pre-season tour, a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina last week, Yoro told reporters: “Last season was not easy to start with an injury. When you come back during the season, it’s difficult for you. But today, I’m good.
“I did a good pre-season. I’m not injured. I will continue like this and try to play as many games as I can.”
What Yoro says is only part of the story. What others say about him is another. But he’s doing all the right things at United, who had watched him for years at former club Lille.
Scouts and decision-makers liked his athletic profile and assured positioning, awareness and concentration when defending, especially as part of a high line or in wide spaces. They marvelled at his bravery and committed defending. Yoro came out with top marks in reports, a teenager who looked self-possessed.
They knew Yoro should play alongside an experienced defender as he developed, but his passing was seen as expansive and creative, exactly what United were working towards. When the club carried out background checks on him, there were no concerns about his off-pitch lifestyle and influences. He came out as a stable and grounded individual. Playing for Lille, he showed emotional stability as a starter against Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Marseille.
In United officials’ first meetings with him, Yoro brought his agent and girlfriend and staff realised that not only was he a top talent, but they also couldn’t fail to notice that he was mature, humble and level-headed. “It doesn’t frighten him; it inspires and motivates him,” explained someone who works with him every day.
“The bigger the game, the better he is. The more pressure, the better he is.” Yoro is showing future leadership potential, but first, he must shoulder the significant responsibility of establishing himself as a top United defender.
The signs are promising. United had plenty of bad moments last season, but when the team went behind, Yoro wasn’t one of the players whose head dropped. His reactions, his resilience, hunger, ambition and courage impressed amid the acrimony of defeat after defeat. And all the time, he was dealing with a new league, new country, new team-mates and two new ways of playing under three different managers at United. He dealt with it. United are delighted with Yoro.
There were, however, occasional moments of despair rather than delight.
“He showed glimpses of being very, very good and you can see his potential,” one coach who worked with him told The Athletic. “He needs to keep bringing the ball out and attacking. When he passes the ball across the back, he’s more vulnerable. He needs to tidy up his defending. An example of that was against Southampton, who were bottom of the table, and Kamaldeen Sulemana kept getting the better of him.
“He has the attributes to be a top player. He stepped in against Athletic Club at home (Europa League semi-final second leg) to create more chances and show that he’s more than a defender.”
United’s coaches and staff saw what the fans had seen against Southampton and Yoro’s performance was reviewed — but he already knew where he had gone wrong. In the following games, he played against players with a similar profile and overcompensated, conceding fouls. Then, he began to improve again, showing how he reflects and adapts quickly.
United’s view is that you learn in any job and the club are happy to give players an opportunity to develop, with the potential payback being accelerated growth.
And how many players are the complete package at 19? He has already improved since arriving last summer and is considered a starter in Ruben Amorim’s best XI, but he will still occasionally mistime his headers and make mistakes. He is still physically developing and will make errors away from the pitch, too — young players do. The key is that they learn and don’t make too many.
Leny Yoro learnt from his struggles against Kamaldeen Sulemana and Southampton (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
United want to create an environment where players feel like they are part of a family and then perform as a team, with leaders among the players who view leadership like parenting. A close environment should be caring and demanding.
Yoro is someone who needs little guidance, but like all players, he thrives off support. United will demand more from Yoro because they want him to be the best he can be and because he responds to it.
“When you play for Manchester United, you need to have the mindset of being the best version of yourself,” he said in Atlanta in excellent English — though he laughed when he realised he’d used the word ‘old’ rather than ‘experienced’ to describe the team leaders.
Yoro is well respected in the dressing room. He is closer to Kobbie Mainoo and Amad and other younger players, but United’s dressing-room dynamic is much improved since he arrived. He also knows what it means to play for United.
“Yeah, of course, we are a big club,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want us to fail, we know that. But there are also a lot of people who want us to do great things.
“We don’t care about what they say outside, about the media, everyone said bull**** about us last year. I understand because we didn’t do well. But this season will be different. We don’t need to listen to this and just be focused on ourselves.”
(Top photo: Jordan Bank/Premier League via Getty Images)