Leny Yoro has admitted he now believes one of Manchester United’s Academy players can become one of the best in the world in his position.
Manchester United’s Academy has been a beacon of hope in what has otherwise been a disappointing 18 months for the club.
While Erik ten Hag ended last season with an FA Cup win, his time in charge came to a close in October. Since then, Rúben Amorim has struggled to spark a turnaround in results or morale.
The same can’t be said for the Academy, which continues to flourish. The U18s have been outstanding and currently sit second in the U18s Premier League table, five points behind Manchester City but with a game in hand.
The club have also been proactive in recruiting young talent, with the arrivals of Chido Obi and Sekou Kone, while homegrown names like Gabriele Biancheri and Jaydan Kamason are beginning to make serious impressions as they climb the ladder.
Yoro aims praise at Acadmey star
Leny Yoro was brought in as an 18-year-old centre-back for a huge £52 million fee from LOSC Lille this summer following a drawn-out battle with Real Madrid for his signature.
United’s capture of Yoro was a real coup for INEOS, now in control of the club’s football operations, with the young defender touted to become one of the best in the world in his position for the future.
However, the Frenchman himself believes he is not the only player with such a potential, and has namedropped United’s young striker Obi as another who could hit the very top in the future.
Obi and Yoro will have played together many times in training since the young striker was promoted to the first team for a number of sessions in the last few months.
“Chido is talented,” Yoro said of the 17-year-old, as quoted by TipsBladet. “He can become one of the world’s best strikers in my opinion, if he continues his development.
“He scores a lot of goals and is a good boy, so I also hope that he will become one of the best.”
Obi quickly becoming a force at United
While Obi was signed as a 16-year-old earlier this season to be part of the club’s Academy, he has quickly made waves across the club and has already made three appearances for Amorim’s first team.
Obi was brought in from Arsenal and signed his first professional contract with United once he hit his 17th birthday, and has been proving himself as a player with a formidable mentality.
“He’s horrible to play against,” United U18s lead coach Adam Lawrence recently told The Athletic about Obi’s abilities.
“He’s got that lovely way about him where he backs himself, that healthy arrogance where he’s like, ‘I want to play at the top, get better and improve’. He’s definitely brought that to the group.”
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