Leny Yoro receives dream message from Man Utd legend
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Leny Yoro receives dream message from Man Utd legend

19/07/24 08:14

Manchester United have signed Leny Yoro from Lille in the region of £52.18m until 2029.

The 18-year-old French central defender has been labelled by football journalists and experts as 'Kylian Mbappé' of defenders.

Yoro has been on the radar by European elite clubs such as Paris Saint Germain, Liverpool and current European champions Real Madrid for the whole of last season.

Initially Real Madrid was the preference for Yoro, and it must have tempted him to join after seeing the Spanish Club unveiled Mbappé earlier this week.

However Real Madrid was not willing to pay the required fee, offered a very low amount which Lille turned down and thought they could wait a further year when Yoro’s contract expired.

Yoro was ready to make the big step now rather than later. Last season Yoro appeared 44 times in all competitions for Lille, scored three goals, helped his side to fourth place and got into the Ligue 1 team of the season.

This is a huge statement by Manchester United snatching one of the sought after defenders in World football away from Real Madrid.

After joining his new club, Yoro said: “Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour.

"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.

"I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started."

Yoro will join the red devils which has esteemed history for having top class defenders such as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Speaking about Ferdinand, the former defender had a huge role in persuading Yoro about the exciting project to join Manchester United.

Ferdinand, currently on holidays after doing punditry during the European Championship for BBC was delighted by the 18-year-old announcement and he shared a heartwarming message which Yoro would cherish for the rest of his football career.

Yoro will be eager to make a huge impact at his new club and follow in the footsteps of a fellow French defender Raphael Varane who has recently left after his contract expired.

For Manchester United fans unfamiliar with his game, Yoro is comfortable sitting back in defence going 1v1 and enjoys having duels with Mbappé.

He is a towering presence with his long legs useful for recovery defending and timed tackles, going the long distances while carrying the ball from the defensive box, good aerially in both boxes and relishes ground duel with a slim physique.

Since he is so young, there are lots to improve on and he has chosen Manchester United as the perfect place to further develop and live up to the tag ‘generational talent’ most expect from him.

Under the new co ownership INEOS has shown already their authority on the transfer market by moving efficiently, a clear structure for their transfer targets which has been criticised by the previous regime run by the Glazers.

Manchester United are busy in the summer transfer window after signing Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna last week.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Jordane Gregoire

Writer

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