When Lisandro Martinez suffered a season-ending knee injury, it came at the worst possible time for Manchester United given the Argentine’s form and importance to Ruben Amorim’s plans.
With the midfield struggling to progress the ball, the World Cup winner consistently drove forward with the ball before using his impeccable passing ability to break the lines.
In fact, before his injury, the Argentina international had four goal contributions including two goals and as many assists under Amorim, more than he had accrued in the two-and-half seasons under Erik ten Hag.
His importance could be gauged from the fact that since the new head coach’s arrival, only Amad, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund had been directly involved in more goals than the former Ajax ace.
Yoro has stepped up in Licha’s absence
Amorim must have feared the worst when Martinez was stretchered off against Crystal Palace in February while INEOS failed to sign a replacement.
But on Wednesday, Leny Yoro stepped up from the left centre-back role and put in a near flawless performance which was reminiscent of what Martinez was offering.
He was not afraid to step into midfield at every given opportunity and he completed 13 out of 14 final third passes against Ipswich, more than any of his teammates on the night. His Cruyff turn on the edge of the Ipswich box was a sight to behold!
And Ruben Amorim was extremely proud of the 19-year-old’s hard work both on and off the pitch, citing his will to improve physically as a contributing factor to what he is achieving on the field.
The former Sporting boss also tipped the defender to enjoy a long and successful career here at Old Trafford and urged him to carry on in the same vein in the games to come.
Amorim full of praise
“He is working really, really hard,” Amorim told MUTV (via MEN). “I think he is gaining muscle, all these small things that you cannot see.
“I think he is going to be a top, top, top player and is going to have a great career here in Manchester. But for that, he knows that he has to prove [himself] in every match, so he is going to be ready for the next one.”
The focus will now shift to the FA Cup as the Red Devils prepare to take on Fulham on Sunday while the Europa League games against Real Sociedad are also coming up.
Both these competitions represent the team’s best shot at qualifying for Europe and for winning silverware this term and Yoro has a huge role to play if the three-time European winners are to end the season on a high.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
