The sight of Leny Yoro running on a treadmill this week has raised anticipation levels ahead of the teenager’s return to fitness and an eagerly anticipated Manchester United debut.
United spent an initial £52m when signing the centre-back from Lille in the summer, beating off competition from Real Madrid to add one of Europe’s most highly-rated defenders to their squad.
Yoro, who turns 19 next month, impressed in a pre-season friendly against Rangers but suffered a foot injury in his second outing of pre-season against Arsenal in Los Angeles and had an operation in August.
A timeline of around three months out hints at a November return, and Erik ten Hag recently confirmed his recovery is going well. Yoro’s return will add to the competition for centre-back places at United.
Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have been first-choice for most of the season, but after a poor performance in the Europa League draw in Porto, they were replaced by Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans for a stalemate at Aston Villa.
Yoro will add to that competition when he returns to fitness, but he remains young for a Premier League centre-back and former United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has pointed to the example of compatriot William Saliba as someone to follow.
Saliba was 18 when he joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne. He returned to Ligue 1 for loan spells with Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille before establishing himself in the Arsenal team and emerging as one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
“Leny Yoro did really well at Lille, he played well consistently and got himself a deserved move,” Silvestre told the Manchester Evening News, via BetMGM.
“He was on the radar of many European clubs and his target should be to follow in the footsteps of William Saliba. I would like him to settle in and then when he gets his opportunity in the starting team, grab it with both hands.
“But he’s young and he will need some time to fulfil his potential. He has got the potential to be a very good defender in the Premier League but lots of pressure won’t help him, so give him time and a fair chance.”
Yoro won’t be leaving United on loan at any point, and he could take advantage of De Ligt’s continued struggles. The Dutch defender has struggled for consistency since his own £38m move from Bayern Munich.
A reunion with Erik ten Hag hasn’t yet brought De Ligt back to his best form, and Silvestre believes Yoro will be in contention to start when he is match-fit.
“Before his injury, I was expecting him to start the season at centre-back for United and now after the start to the season the team has made, I expect him to come straight into contention and be a starter when he’s fit again,” said Silvestre.
Yoro was the first signing of the Ineos era at United and his acquisition, at a time when it was expected he would join Real Madrid, sent out a statement of intent from Old Trafford and showed the club still had the ability to attract players.
“I think Leny’s decision to join Man United over Real Madrid was the right one,” said Silvestre. “It was a sensible decision for a player who has been playing every week for Lille and he clearly wants to continue playing regularly. Choosing United over Madrid will increase his chances of getting more game time.
“The Premier League has historically been a good league for French players, they tend to do well and develop nicely. So, in terms of development in his career, it made sense for Leny to join United and United will always be attractive to players despite the on-field situation.”
