“Since the beginning…” Leny Yoro reveals why he picked Manchester United over Real Madrid, fans will love it

Leny Yoro has revealed why he chose to sign for Manchester United over Real Madrid in 2024 despite intense transfer interest from a host of clubs around Europe.

When Manchester United confirmed the signing of 18-year-old Leny Yoro from Lille for a fee of around £52 million, excitement rippled through fans worldwide, eager to see the young French prodigy in action.

United triumphed over Real Madrid in a fiercely contested transfer battle, with many expecting the Spanish giants to secure his signature. However, the club’s new board, spearheaded by CEO Omar Berrada, managed to change the course of the deal.

Yoro made his first appearance in a friendly against Rangers, playing 45 minutes. Just a week later, he started against Arsenal in the USA, but was forced off after just 30 minutes due to a foot injury, which sidelined him for three months.

After undergoing surgery and completing his rehabilitation, Yoro has since become a regular under new head coach Rúben Amorim, having made 13 appearances since the beginning of December and started three games in 2025 already.

Why did Yoro pick United over Real Madrid?

When United signed Yoro, the transfer was deemed as more than just a great signing for United’s future, but as a major coup that would put the club back on the map in Europe.

It was INEOS’ first transfer window in charge of footballing operations, and he was the second of five first-team players to join, with Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte all putting pen to paper that summer.

Speaking ahead of United’s Europa League fixture against FCSB on Thursday evening, the Frenchman was asked why he picked United over Real Madrid and all the other clubs interested.

The 19-year-old replied by explaining that, despite the interest elsewhere, he knew United was the right club to continue his development because he spoke with many in and around Old Trafford before he made his decision, which fans will no doubt love.

“I think everyone knows the history of Manchester United, how big this club is,” Yoro explained to reporters.

“Since the beginning, I knew that Manchester United was the club for me. I speak with a lot of persons of the club, so yeah, I think for me it was a good choice.”

What Amorim said about Yoro

Yoro made his official debut for United during a 2-0 loss against Arsenal at the beginning of last month, but ahead of the game, Amorim explained that he knows just how exciting the young star is.

Read More: “He says…” Bayern Munich chief confirms Mathys Tel transfer claim amid Manchester United interest

“He is a special talent, we have to be careful in the first moment,” Amorim said in December. “We didn’t have too many training [sessions] together. He has been training with a small group of players.

“He is really fast, a modern defender. He will be good when we want to press high and you leave a lot of strikers in this league one against one, he can manage that. He is very good with the ball so I am very excited.

“We have to be careful, we have to manage the load and minute in the beginning but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro playing.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.