United fans and Amorim must band together to protect under-fire generational talent to avoid past mistakes – opinion

Manchester United have always had a special connection with young players. Few sights excite a United fan more than a talented youngster breaking into the first team and making a starting position their own. Nonetheless, this excitement and desire to push youngsters into the spotlight can also be counter-productive. The Red Devils have witnessed the build-up of numerous youngsters in recent years, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo, only to see them sold, loaned out or left out in the cold. It is imperative this does not happen to Leny Yoro. Exciting capture The Red Devils shocked the football world in 2024 when they beat Real Madrid to the signature of the highly rated teenager Leny Yoro. His time at the club began in disastrous fashion, as he picked up a serious injury in pre-season and had to wait until December 2024 to make his debut for the club. Despite this, he played regularly for the club and quickly turned himself into one of the first names on Ruben Amorim’s team sheet. Nonetheless, this season has been more of a struggle for the Frenchman. He gave away a penalty at Crystal Palace last month and had to be substituted after appearing visibly distraught on the pitch. The 20-year-old was also torn to shreds by the effervescent Morgan Rogers at the weekend, causing many fans to question whether Yoro should be getting the starts he has been this season. Unlucky circumstances Yoro has found himself in a difficult situation, as injuries have meant that Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, both much more senior partners, have been ruled out of action. What’s more, he has been paired alongside Luke Shaw, who, despite playing well this season, has never really been a centre-back, and the highly inexperienced Ayden Heaven. It is simply too much to expect the young defender to cope with this situation, especially with a midfield of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes offering little defensive protection in front of him. United fans must not turn on him Just as supporters love to get excited when a player is doing well, some also love to stick the knives in when they are not. Yoro does not need this, though. United have a rare talent who is not playing anything like himself at the moment. He needs fans to support him and trust him moving forward. United’s capture of Yoro was always meant to be more for the future than for the present. Some of the world’s very best centre-backs were far from starting at a club like United at just 20 years old, and fans must remember this. What Amorim must do The Portuguese head coach has a delicate balance to achieve. He must take the youngster out of the firing line when he gets the chance, with the imminent return of Maguire or De Ligt. However, he must also protect his confidence and allow Yoro chances to get back into rhythm, knowing that he has the trust of the club and fans. If managed correctly, this could be no more than a tiny blip on an incredible career for the United starlet. Leny Yoro Season 25/26 stats MatchesGoalsAssists Yellow cardsMinutes played 170101006 Source: transfermarkt.com Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.