But for injuries to more experienced defenders Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, it’s unlikely that Manchester United’s French prospect Leny Yoro would be starting so many games.
Interim boss Michael Carrick went with Harry Maguire and Martinez until the Argentinian picked up another injury. With two out, Yoro has received another chance to impress. He’s had them before, with positive to mixed results, as he adjusts to life in the Premier League after his 2024 move from Lille.
Yoro, 20, started this season as first choice, but didn’t always convince. Too raw and not being aggressive enough were knocks against his many talents. But there’s a belief in the club that Yoro can become a world class defender, and he has time on his side.
Yet another Paris-born football talent, the defender progressed significantly to attract attention from Manchester and Real Madrid, becoming the first signing of United’s new decision-makers after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment.
Scouts had long watched him and liked his athletic profile and how he was so assured in his positioning, awareness and concentration when defending, especially in a high line or in wide spaces. They marvelled at his bravery and committed defending when the club had doubts about so many of the other players they had watched. Yoro came out better in reports than any other defender in the world Then he became a United player and progression for a youngster in football is never linear.
Sunday, though, was a good day for Yoro as he played alongside Maguire in United’s 3-1 win over Champions League chasing rivals Aston Villa. Yoro wasn’t the star performer like Casemiro or Bruno Fernandes, but he played well and earned praise from Carrick.
“I’ve been really impressed with Leny,” Carrick told The National. “He’s so young and it takes a lot to play centre back in this league for a club like this. He has understanding, composure and his personality takes it in his stride. There’s loads more to come, layers from him, and that will happen naturally over a period. He’s played a good number of games here to gain experience already and he’s doing well. You can see him growing, getting in the flow of playing games again in a back four which is slightly different for him.
“I’m really pleased with him; he’s a pleasure to have and he’s desperate to learn and does a lot of work with Jonny (Evans) and Woody (another coach Jonathan Woodgate). He always wants more which is a great sign.”
Twenty minutes earlier, Yoro had spoken to journalists in the mixed zone. “I think the win today was really important for us,” he said. “We know that every game is important, but this one is especially important because [Villa] are right behind us. So, we are really happy with the result today.”
Yoro explained what it was like when he lost his place in the team in November and December. “I think every player has this phase in a season, sometimes you have bad moments, bad performances, and I'm happy to do good games now, to rebound well, so I'm just happy with the result. I think it's my second season now. The team helped me a lot also to settle, so I feel good”.
Playing alongside the seasoned Maguire, he says, has been a big help. “With all the experiences he has, he gave a lot of tips, he spoke to me a lot on the pitch, so this helped me a lot. He always speaks with me, like with the striker, sometimes he speaks before the game, or at half-time, about positioning as well, so playing with him is good for me. We speak a lot. Even before the game, during the week, we speak a lot about the opponent.
“Having Harry in the team is good for us. If he can stay next season, it’s good for us, so I hope he’s going to extend his contract and he can stay with us.”
The coaching staff also help Yoro. “We speak a lot with them, do a lot of extra work, you know, they explain a lot of things to us, and having them as part of the team is just a plus for us, you know, it helps us every day to improve. I work a lot on videos, a lot of stuff on the pitch about the opponent, so they know the work they’re doing [coaching staff], so this helped me, I'm just listening and working”.
“I know I'm young, I have a lot of things to improve, so they [Woodgate and Evans] helped me to find that, to work every day on what I have to improve. They speak a lot with me about, not just about football, but about outside football also, because for a young player it’s important to be good outside football, so they know I have a lot to improve and they helped me a lot with this.
“I think when the player comes to the Prem, they know physicality will be hard, so my body is still growing, and I have to deal with that.”
United, now three points clear in third place, are in a very strong position to play Champions League football next season.
“I think every player wants to play Champions League, especially when you play for United,” added Yoro. “This club must play the Champions League, so hopefully we're going to get it next season.”
Unfortunately, United are likely to be playing without the in-form Brazilian Casemiro who is set to leave when his contract expires in the summer. “Everyone wanted him to stay, he's a player really important for us, he showed it again today,” said Yoro. “Even in the dressing room, every day, he has the experience that no one else has in the team. He won everything, so this helped us a lot in the games and even outside the pitch.”
