Manchester United’s “laid back and mature” young defender Leny Yoro is finally starting to build up a head of steam at the club, following conversations with Raphael Varane and with the help of “mentor” Andre Onana.
The 19-year-old’s start to life at Old Trafford has not been plain sailing, after a pre-season injury sustained in a match against Arsenal played in the United States left him sidelined until December.
Incidentally, he played his first Premier League minutes against the Gunners as United were beaten 2-0 at the Emirates, but exacted his revenge with an ice-cold conversion in the FA Cup penalty shootout win at the same ground earlier this month.
Sandwiched between these various Arsenal matches was a lot of hard work, both physical and mental, which The Manchester Evening News say impressed those around him.
Following his injury Yoro worked closely with Australian first team physiotherapist Ibrahim Kerem, and the youngster used his rehab time “to increase his physical preparations” to play in the Premier League.
And to this day the Frenchman works with an external masseur, putting in additional recovery session at home in the evenings or on days off.
The MEN claim that “people at Carrington found that Yoro’s demeanour never changed during his four months away from the pitch”, showing an elite attitude from a teenager plucked from Ligue 1 for a hefty fee and plunged into the infamous Man United pressure cooker.
United staff reportedly find Yoro “extremely laid back and mature”, and the report notes that “some of the club’s academy players regarded as high potential are older than Yoro.”
The personal impact of Yoro’s switch cannot be understated – his parents and siblings have not moved to England, so he has bought himself a dog called Dougie to keep him company in his new home.
And while at work, he has forged a strong bond with Kobbie Mainoo, who is the same age and spent rehabilitation time with Yoro after an injury in October. The report also notes that goalkeeper Andre Onana “has become a mentor, as a fellow French speaker.”
But arguably the most influential French speaker in Yoro’s career is his “idol” Raphael Varane. Much has been made of the similarities between the two, as promising teenage defenders pursued by both Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Back in 2011 Varane took the Spanish option, arriving at Old Trafford ten years later, but after careful deliberation with his hero and other former players, Yoro opted to join United at the first time of asking.
The MEN paint a picture of a diligent and consummate professional, noting that the 19-year-old is “big on personal analysis” and “brushes up on his homework ahead of facing opposition forwards.”
Little wonder, then, that manager Ruben Amorim called him a “special talent” before handing him his first United appearance.
“You have to be careful in this first moment, because we didn’t have too many trainings together, he is training not alone, but with a small group of players.”
He continued: “He is really fast, he is a modern defender and that is good when you want to press high and you leave a lot of strikers, especially in this league one against one, I think he can manage that.
“He is very good with the ball, so I’m really excited. I have to be careful. We have to manage the load and the minutes in the beginning but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro play.”
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
