One of Manchester United’s cult heroes may be in trouble after Leny Yoro put in a phenomenal display against West Ham on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United dropped to 16th in the Premier League table after suffering a deflating 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Rúben Amorim’s side started strongly and saw plenty of the ball, but Tomáš Souček struck against the run of play in the 25th minute to give the visitors the lead with a well-taken finish.
United pressed for an equaliser before the break, yet they were unable to break through and went into half-time a goal down despite their efforts.
West Ham continued to pose a threat after the interval and nearly added a second when James Ward-Prowse was denied by Altay Bayındır. Moments later, Jarrod Bowen made no mistake, doubling the Hammers’ lead just before the hour mark.
Chasing a response, United created chances through Harry Maguire and Rasmus Højlund, but the finishing touch eluded them as Amorim’s men slipped to another disappointing home defeat.
Yoro’s new position vs West Ham
With Amorim looking to rotate, the Portuguese boss chose to hand Leny Yoro a start in the middle of the back three, with the Frenchman having already proven himself as a right and left-sided centre-back.
Although United went a goal down in the first half, Yoro was his usual fantastic self as he looked to push up with the ball and play direct passes into the final third – a trait Amorim sees as essential for his middle centre-back.
It was unfortunate to see the Frenchman go down the tunnel so early in the second half with an injury, but this should not diminish the encouragement of his phenomenal display.
The 19-year-old misplaced just one of his 42 attempted passes across his 52 minutes, winning all three of his ground duels and putting two passes into United’s final third, all within a total of 47 touches.
Is Yoro the future upgrade on Maguire?
While Maguire will no doubt continue as Amorim’s first-choice centre-back in the middle of the back three for the remainder of the season, the Englishman may see his position filled by Yoro long-term.
Maugire has grown into a cult hero at Old Trafford since Amorim’s arrival, putting in colossal performances both in defence and as an auxiliary attacker when needed, but he will likely not be playing as a regular starter for Amorim much longer.
Maguire’s current contract expires next summer after United activated the one-year extension option earlier this year, with reports claiming the defender wants a new contract and to finish his career at Old Trafford.
But, with Maguire only getting older and United having players such as Ayden Heaven for the left centre-back position in the future, Yoro may find himself being cultivated to start playing in Maguire’s current position from next season onwards.
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