Highlights
- Leny Yoro is on the verge of signing for Manchester United.
- The teenager has impressed as a defender for Lille since his debut as a 16-year-old.
- Yoro had reportedly prefered a move to Real Madrid but is set to join the Old Trafford club instead.
Lille’s teenage defensive sensation Leny Yoro is closing in on a move to Manchester United after a deal worth over £50m was reportedly agreed between the two clubs. The 18-year-old completed a medical in England and is expected to finalise the details of his contract with a formal announcement of his move to follow.
Although it was thought that Real Madrid was the Frenchman’s desired destination, United have worked round the clock to convince him to join them instead. So, with one half of the two centre-back quota fulfilled for this window already, and Mathijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite still on the wishlist – what made Manchester United prioritise Yoro?
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Gifted Modern Defender
Yoro is one of Europe’s best rated centre backs
Although Leny Yoro’s football career would still look to be in its formative stages, the young central defender has impressed hugely since his emergence at Lille two years ago.
He got his start as one of the club’s youngest first-team players when he made his professional Ligue 1 debut in May 2022, at the age of 16 years, six months and a day. After a first senior season in which he was mainly used as a substitute, he became one of Lille’s cornerstones in his second term, cutting his teeth against the most prolific forwards in France’s top-tier.
Yoro played a big part in Lille’s fourth place finish in the league last season, as well as the progression to the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals and his skill set is definitely one to be admired.
Notably, Yoro conforms well within the modern standards of the game and has shown great ability to press high. Consistently, he has demonstrated the football IQ to squeeze up, anticipate balls that go through midfield, and regularly have the composure when it’s fallen to him to be the last man back.
As per AJAnalysis (via YouTube), a lot of teams like to go man-to-man with the press and that means that defenders, especially, have to win their duels. This is where Yoro shines. A brilliant duel-winner, he sits in good company among peers of the same age bracket. Against Top Five League U21 centre-backs (per 90), Yoro is 7th for offensive duels and 9th for defensive duels won. Additionally, he is 8th in the tackle ranks. Yoro admittedly defends on the front foot, and enjoys moving up out of his backline to patrol the depths of midfield. Nowadays, this still includes arriving for aerial battles – of which, Yoro has exhibited great quality.
He has a great strong frame, is 6 ft 1 and is very adept at rising to head clear. He uses all of his attributes to his advantage, whether that be his arms, jumping ability, or positioning – he is ranked second-highest among his Top Five League U21 peers for aerial duels won per 90.
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Leny Yoro’s statistical averages per 90 minutes during the 2023/24 domestic campaign compared to Raphael Varane |
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|---|---|---|
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Leny Yoro |
Raphael Varane |
|
|
Pass completion percentage |
92.1 |
88.9 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1.48 |
1.37 |
|
Tackles |
1.21 |
1.18 |
|
Interceptions |
1.21 |
0.98 |
|
Goals |
0.07 |
0.07 |
|
Statistics correct as of 18/07/2024 |
||
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Composure and Recovery
Yoro is coolness personified on the ball
While it is admirable to see an 18-year-old so well versed in how to defend aerially, as well as in a pressing scenario, it is also worth nothing how they fare when they’re seemingly overrun or caught out.
Although perhaps not the quickest defender, Yoro still possesses enough pace to pair with a solid anticipation and reading of the game, to know how to deal with threats in behind him. Additionally, a decent stride length from his long legs also helps him with tackling technique – as AJAnalysis discusses, to hook the ball away from opposing strikers at the very last minute.
In the box, his jockeying and movement is integral in his ability to hold up players dribbling right at him, while a key eye doesn’t let him fly right into a challenge if it’s unnecessary. That’s not to say that Yoro is completely error-free, and could improve in these fields, but the buffing out of any of those traits will likely come with his transition to the Premier League and the higher up he goes within France’s youth teams.
What he may need to focus on, is one-on-one scenarios against more gifted players and channel awareness – especially out on the wings. He has all the attributes to come good in those departments, yet as said, that will likely arrive with higher level coaching.
Nevertheless, his teammates knew he was going to the very top. Former teammate and ex-Manchester United player Angel Gomes told Eurosport:
“As soon as he arrived in the group, I understood that he was going to reach the summits. When I discovered the pros at the age of 16 at Manchester United, I understood that it was different. He already had the right temperament.
“That’s not normal for a 16- or 17-year-old player arriving. It’s like he’s already an experienced player and it showed in the way he trained, the way he behaved. His progress was obvious.”
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Transition from Defence to Attack
Yoro loves to carry the ball
As covered already, Yoro does look to fit the mold for a modern defender and that extends to his ability with the ball at his feet. As has so often been seen in recent seasons, goalkeepers and defenders have to be as gifted with their feet as midfielders, at times. Yoro is no different. While he doesn’t reflect the skills of a Virgil van Dijk perhaps, where long and accurate sweeping balls can be flung forward, Yoro does possess the knack for a pass.
His former coach and now AC Milan boss, Paulo Foncesca, was glowing about Yoro’s play. He said:
“It’s not normal to have an 18-year-old player like Leny with this maturity and the technical qualities he has.
“For me, he will be one of the best central defenders in France and probably in Europe. He is very balanced, and there is no doubt that he will be a very great player.”
FBREF shows that, compared to positional peers who have played the same minutes as him in the last year, Yoro is within reasonable percentiles for passes attempted and interceptions (63.3 per 90 and 1.21 per 90). He is also among the best for Pass Completion, with an average of 92.1%. That said, that may be solely for possessive keep-ball, as progressive pass stats reflect a somewhat meagre 2.29 progressive passes and 0.27 progressive carries per 90 minutes.
From these traits covered, it is clear the sort of defending Leny Yoro has been forced to do. Often tucking up into midfield in a high press, his job has predominantly been to win duels, play the ball between his defence or to midfield, and track back and recover when his defensive partner looks to lose the second-ball.
Additionally, while Yoro’s praises have, of course, been sung – it’s key to note that while his potential weaknesses have been addressed briefly – he is still just 18. For him to hold the ability he already does, say seven to eight years from his peak – if Manchester United handle him properly, he could be one of the best defenders on the continent. It will certainly be intriguing to see how he fits in with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
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Stats presented by AJAnalysis via DataMB, stats also from FBREF.
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