Manchester United have signed 18-year-old center back Leny Yoro from Lille in a deal worth €60 million.
Leny Yoro made his debut at 16, and played 32 times as Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season. The highly rated central defender was also on the radar of Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid.
Those teams were reportedly prepared to wait for Leny Yoro rather than pay a huge fee. United have made their intentions clear, and Yoro’s comments about joining are telling.
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“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.
“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started.”
In other words, he has been told he’s going to play. Whether or not he becomes a mainstay in Erik ten Hag’s defence instantly remains to be seen. It would represent a huge risk – realistically, no 18 year old center back is ready to play in the Premier League.
The obvious comparison is fellow French center back William Saliba of Arsenal, but it wasn’t that simple for him. Arsenal hummed and hawed for three seasons before deciding to integrate Saliba.
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Saliba is also a generational talent whose composure belies his youth. It is no slight to say Leny Yoro is not William Saliba, at least not yet.
The Yoro move, as well as the deal for Joshua Zirkzee do make United significantly younger. With Højlund already in place and Martial and Varane no longer at the club, there is an upward direction in which to go.
It’s taken some time, but we may actually be able to see how Erik ten Hag wants to play next season.
