Former Manchester United midfielder Maxi Oyedele was left impressed with Leny Yoro after watching him in training.
Yoro arrived at United amid great fanfare with the sense the Red Devils have signed one of the best defensive prospects in Europe.
Seen as the Kylian Mbappe of centre-backs, the Frenchman was on Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain’s radar before United struck an agreement with Lille to secure his services.
The 18-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut, owing to a foot injury he suffered during pre-season. Still, despite limited minutes in training with his teammates, he managed to leave a promising impression.
Oyedele featured regularly for United during pre-season. In a recent interview with SportBible’s Jack Kenmare, the midfielder spoke about the French central defender, stating: “I remember his first training session. Wow. Listen, there’s a lot that comes with playing for United.
“He’ll have to deal with certain things but I’ve got no doubts. He’s going to be a top player.”
However, the 18-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut for United after suffering an injury during pre-season.
Yoro has returned to first-team training, but he was not included in the matchday squad for the Leicester City clash, with Ruud van Nistelrooy indicating United are going to be patient with his recovery.
Such is Yoro’s potential that even incoming United manager Ruben Amorim is understood to be looking forward to working with him in Manchester.
The ex-Lille star’s ability to seamlessly defend wide spaces is certainly going to make him an ideal fit for Amorim’s back three setup.
Meanwhile, Oyedele, who was rated very highly during his time in United’s academy, has enjoyed an encouraging start to his career at Legia Warsaw.
Despite including him in their pre-season plans in the summer, the Mancunian giants decided to permanently sell him to the Polish outfit. The move, however, has helped Oyedele his talents in the middle of the park, leading to his first call-up to the senior Poland squad.
Vishal Singh
Vishal has covered football for over five years. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person. Big fan of ball-playing center-backs!