Leny Yoro explains comparison to underrated Manchester United star that reveals surprise abilities

Leny Yoro has explained a comparison between him and an underrated Manchester United hero that reveals two surprise abilities that will help him at Old Trafford.

After a 2023/24 season where they conceded over eighty goals across all competitions and finished eighth in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag and his team have been actively seeking centre-back reinforcements.

Manchester United made a bold move by pursuing highly-rated 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro, who was on the verge of joining Real Madrid.

Read More: Manchester United considering £15m wildcard transfer with Manuel Ugarte price tag problem

On Thursday evening, the club announced that they had successfully persuaded Yoro to join Manchester United, with the young star agreeing to a five-year contract lasting until 2029, with the club retaining an option for an additional year.

Yoro has a fantastic base physique to become a defender in the Premier League, standing at 6 feet and 3 inches, with long limbs that help him block and wrap himself around forwards he faces.

Asked if he was always a defender, Yoro revealed that as an academy player, he was actually a striker. He revealed two hidden abilities that many strikers need: speed and the ability to score “a lot of goals.”

“No, no, no,” Yoro said, smiling at the question. “I was a striker before, so this is really not the same as now, but I was a striker. I was really fast, I was tall, so I scored a lot of goals, but yeah, before I was a striker.”

Then, the interviewer pressed to ask who Yoro used to pretend to be in the school playground and which type of player he used to dream he was like.

Yoro’s answer was a slightly out-of-pocket but brilliant one – he revealed that he used to be compared to underrated United hero Luis Nani, who was well-known for his speed and trickery on the right wing.

A lot of people compare me to Nani when I was young because I was fast like him, and I love this player,” he explained. “For me, it was a target to be like him, but now this is not the same because I’m a defender, but yeah, this was my player.”

Yoro’s initial development as a striker will help him become impactful for United in both boxes. Both Scott McTominay and Kobbie Mainoo played as strikers during their time in the Carrington academy, and it’s helped them add goals to their game.

Yoro, who underwent a similar process at Lille and as a child in Paris, will hopefully be able to score a few goals at Old Trafford and defend his own alongside Lisandro Martínez and André Onana.

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