Who is Manchester United’s Future Star Leny Yoro

There is an extremely close link between Manchester United and France. The second most represented nation of non-British players in the English club’s history, it has even seen the birth of one of the club’s greatest-ever players in Eric Cantona. In the space of 182 matches, the ‘terrible child’ of French football left an indelible mark on the hearts and memories of the fans, but also the history of the red entity.

Multiple titles, exceptional qualities, 82 goals: the worthy successor to Manchester United’s illustrious No 7s – Billy Meredith, George Best or Denis Law – has paid tribute to the legacy left by his predecessors, adding a new stone to the edifice himself. And so, more than two decades after the ‘King’, another phenomenon, Leny Yoro, with a relatively different style, is preparing to arrive at Old Trafford. Here’s a portrait of another face that would look perfect in a crown.

Contract Details

Transfer Fee, Salary & Contract Length

As announced by the Manchester United club itself, Yoro has committed himself to the Red Devils until 2029, with the option to extend for a further year. A meteoric rise for the 18-year-old from the Paris suburbs, whose future seemed to be written far from Great Britain. Paris Saint-Germain had expressed a keen interest in the defender, but never really took any action. This is in stark contrast to the position taken by Real Madrid, who tried to convince Lille to sell them their nugget for between £21m and £25.3. But the interest never seemed strong enough to conclude the deal, much to the delight of the United.

With a transfer fee of a cool £52,1m, excluding bonuses (which could take the deal to a total of £58.9m), the Lille man becomes the second most expensive defender in Manchester United’s history, behind Harry Maguire, who arrived from Leicester for a cheque of £73m in 2019. Domestically, he is also the biggest sale of a defender in the history of Ligue 1.

It was an operation masterfully managed by the Mancunian management, who were able to pull out all the stops by presenting a convincing project, as well as a competitive salary. The 18-year-old is set to earn a basic salary of £115,000 per week and £5.98m per season. These sums could well increase if various bonuses are activated. According to estimates, he could earn up to £145,000 a week and £7.54m a year.

Career

It’s an investment that matches the potential of a player whose coach at LOSC, Paulo Fonseca, predicted last September that he had ‘a great future ahead of him’. Although he has now established himself as one of the most sought-after defenders on the market (and as one of the best teenagers in the world), it is worth remembering that Yoro has still only played 60 professional games. After arriving at Lille’s youth academy in 2017, it was against OGC Nice on the 14th of May 2022 that he took his first steps in the top flight.

At 16 years, six months and one day old, the young defender became the second-youngest player in history to wear the colours of LOSC (he has since been overtaken by Ayyoub Bouaddi), ahead of a certain Eden Hazard. A few months later, against Toulouse FC in November, he became the youngest Dogue – at 16 years and 308 days – to start a match in the top flight since Oumar Dieng in 1989. In statistical terms, he also became the fifth-youngest first-team starter in France’s top flight in the 21st century, behind M’Baye Niang (16 years and 133 days), Eduardo Camavinga (16 years and 172 days), Rayan Cherki (16 years and 176 days) and Neal Maupay (16 years and 179 days). All the more reason to point the finger at his precocity.

More and more used by Fonseca during the 2022/23 season (15 matches in all competitions), his status changed, as did his place in the hierarchy of Lille’s central defenders. At only 17 years of age, Yoro has impressed, as evidenced by the words of his coach after his team’s victory over Stade Rennais in February 2023.

Continuing his progress, the following season was a real turning point for the young tricolour, who definitively established himself in the defence of Les Dogues – the nickname of LOSC. A long-awaited arrival for the man who now has the heavy responsibility of replacing veteran Jose Fonte, who left for SC Braga the previous summer. But nothing seems to be able to shake the player who was already being snapped up by numerous clubs last winter. Well aware of what the loss of his young talent would mean for his team, Fonseca did not hesitate to talk to him, in particular renewing his full confidence in him. It was a convincing speech and one that Yoro listened to wholeheartedly, deciding to finish the season in the north of France.

Starting 41 times in 44 games in all competitions, the defender enjoyed his first real season in a starting role and even discovered Europe, through the Europa League, which he played in until the quarter-finals before his side was eliminated by Aston Villa.

Transfer

And while the season is drawing to a close and Yoro has been named in the league’s best team, the 18-year-old’s future already seems to be taking shape away from Lille, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain rumoured to be the most serious contenders for his signature.

Manchester United were not interested in these rumours, and have been lining up zero bids for the young defender. A sum that some will surely consider far too large, especially for a player whose contract was due to expire in June 2025. But talent waits for no one, and neither does the opportunity to acquire it.

International Career

His outstanding performances quickly opened the doors of the French youth teams to the Lille diamond. And there too, his rise continued to go from strength to strength. In 2021, at the age of 15, Yoro made his debut for the Under-17s before moving up to the Under-18s a year later. At 17, he was called up by Lionel Rouxel to take part in France’s qualifying campaign for Euro U19. He played two games (both as a starter) before finally being called up by Thierry Henry to join the French Espoirs team.

With the latter, he played in qualifying matches for the Euro U21 and established himself as the defensive stalwart. Logically expected to represent France at the 2024 Olympic Games, his participation was finally blocked by Olivier Letang, the chairman of LOSC, who claimed that his club ‘cannot afford’ to release its young players before the season. A questionable stance, especially given the young defender’s immediate future.

Style of Play

A centre-back accustomed to playing with four men, Yoro reads the game well. One of his strengths is to stick to his opponent’s back so that the latter cannot turn around. This is a good way of forcing a foul and encouraging his teammates to recover the ball. It is worth pointing out, however, that Yoro is not – yet – a player who likes to rush into a duel and bases his game mainly on his sense of anticipation in trying to intercept the ball.

Height

At Lille, he was the second player to recover the most balls at the end of the 2023/24 season (36). His height is another important aspect of his profile. Standing at 1m90 (6ft2in), the defender is a real asset in aerial duels and proved it last season by being the LOSC player to win the most of them (44, or 63.8%). His right foot is also one of his strong points. Of his team, he is the second player to have attempted the most passes (1.880) and the one to have completed the most (1.731), with a 92.1% success rate – the fourth-best record in Ligue 1.

However, this impressive total must be qualified by the fact that the vast majority of his passes were made inside his own half. This is one of his main areas for improvement, which, if worked on, could see him progress even further.

Position

The fact that Raphael Varane, a player whose career path is somewhat comparable to Yoro’s, left Manchester United is no doubt a factor in the arrival of his young compatriot. Playing on the right side of a four-man defence, Yoro’s future position would appear to be a natural one. Alongside him, Lisandro Martinez and Jonny Evans should take it in turns to support him, while Harry Maguire could deputise.

At just 18 years of age and with just one full season at the highest level, there is no doubt that young Yoro will need time to adapt. That period will inevitably be shorter at a club of Manchester United’s stature, but the Frenchman will have to make the most of it to gain experience. Having finished eighth in the Premier League last season, the Red Devils will have to be far more impregnable (58 goals conceded, eighth worst defence in the league) than they have been if they hope to return to the top flight at the start of the 2024/25 season.

All statistics courtesy of FBref, Capology and Transfermarkt. Correct as of 19th of July 2024.