Ruben Amorim has made the decision to start Leny Yoro in place of Joshua Zirkzee in Manchester United’s clash against Leeds.
Manchester United face Leeds in their first outing of 2026 as they look to secure an important three points after drawing against Wolves last time out.
The Reds are currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table as they continue to provide inconsistent results and performances.
Leeds have not won against United in their last six meetings but are currently in good form, with no defeats in their last six Premier League games.
Ruben Amorim is facing criticism at Old Trafford and needs to deliver an impressive win to ensure that the Reds don’t slip further.
Amorim reveals why Yoro replaces Zirkzee vs Leeds
Fans were surprised when Amorim named the lineup to face Leeds, mainly due to the fact that there were six natural defenders named.
Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro continue in midfield while Benjamin Šeško and Matheus Cunha are the attacking threats for the Reds. Patrick Dorgu also looks set to play in the frontline.
Joshua Zirkzee has been benched and the player who has come in for him is Leny Yoro. It is a defensive change but Amorim has explained why he decided to do it.
“It was just thinking about what we are going to face today, trying to make the team comfortable to win the game and we don’t have a lot of options, but we are ready to be competitive,” the United boss told TNT Sports.
He said in his pre-match press conference that Leeds are threatening with their pace on the break and Yoro will hopefully be able to deal with that.
Tactical questions ahead of United vs Leeds
United are entering a game against a newly promoted side with just two players who are considered offensive-minded and it is something that has annoyed fans.
Amorim is focusing on how to combat Leeds when he should arguably be focused on his own team rather than the opposition.
Still, Zirkzee has not been impressive – even though he scored a deflected strike against Leeds – and there are no senior alternatives to him.
There are still question marks about how United are lining up, with some fans believing it is a 3-4-3 shape and others suggesting that it could be a back four with Lisandro Martínez in midfield, like we saw against Aston Villa when the Argentine came on.
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