Manchester United’s newest addition, Leny Yoro, has revealed exactly what role Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand had in convincing the teenager sensation to join the club. Despite strong interest from Real Madrid and Liverpool, Yoro put pen to paper on a five-year deal for a fee of £52m.
Throughout the summer, the rumour was that the 18-year-old was planning to run down his contract at LOSC Lille in order to join the Champions League winners, who were unwilling to meet the Ligue 1 side’s demands. As the Red Devils swooped in to secure the player’s services, Yoro has now revealed exactly what Ferdinand did in order to help sway things in United’s favour.
Yoro Had 10-Minute Phone Call With Ferdinand
United icon persuaded French defender to make the move
Speaking in his first full interview after becoming a Manchester United player, Yoro told MUTV that he had spoken with the now BT Sport pundit and was left with a promising impression that helped him make a decision regarding his future. The youngster stated:
“Two weeks ago, he called me. We spoke for 10 minutes about Man United, so he helped me a lot to make my choice.
“He mainly spoke about the club and what it’s like. That this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world. It was really good to speak about this.
“This is Rio Ferdinand, this is a legend in Man United, so for me this is an honour. This is a big defender, a legend, so yeah, big honour for me.
“When I was younger, Rio was one of the best defenders in the world. I think everyone watched United when he was young and, for me, it was a dream to play for this club.”
Upon sealing his transfer, Yoro received a video message from Ferdinand, congratulating him on the move and encouraging him to keep working hard. The Manchester United icon was clearly delighted that his call had paid off, with him chanting ‘Leny, Leny, Leny’ at the start of the video.
Yoro’s Advice From Former Teammate
Angel Gomes played with Yoro at Lille and told him all about United
Ferdinand wasn’t the only person that the French under-23 international spoke to about a potential move to the Theatre of Dreams. In the same interview, the wonderkid revealed that he had also spoken with former teammate Angel Gomes about what life in Manchester is like.
Gomes came through the famed United academy, and was highly touted as being a big star for the future. He opted to leave the club in 2020 to join Lille, but had nothing but positive words about his former employers, as Yoro explained:
“We spoke a lot about United. [Gomes] just told me this is the biggest club in the world. You know, the fans, even the way to play, the training camp, everything is really big, is really incredible. Every day I spoke with him about this and it helped me a lot to come here. He’s really happy for me. He sent me a message directly.”
Yoro impressed in his first outing against Rangers on Saturday and is expected to be part of the group who will travel to the United States for the Reds’ pre-season tour. Fans could see him in action once again when United face Arsenal on Sunday 25th July.