Leny Yoro joined the club with much fanfare two seasons ago, but his stock isn’t as high as it was then. It looked like he was set to join Real Madrid, but United pushed hard for his signature and got him through the door in the end for an initial £52.2 million plus £6.7 million in potential add-ons. Everything at the time suggested that United had pulled off a big scalp.
Still only 20 years old, there’s no doubt that he has still got a lot to learn, but he’s a youngster with more experience than
most 20-year-olds. After a promising first season in a disastrous United campaign, he had a poor second season, often primarily responsible for some of the goals conceded by United. Playing for a big club is an unforgiving experience, but overcoming that is part of the mandate. It’s no different for Ayden Heaven, United’s other promising young centre-back.
Heaven’s rise itself has been one of the challenges for Yoro. In his limited appearances for the club, Heaven has shown a degree of composure and physicality that Yoro has struggled to manage so far. That’s before we look at other young centre-backs in the game, like Pau Cubarsi. These aren’t unfair comparisons since Yoro has been given plenty of chances to make a mark. He also has plenty of senior players in the centre-back position to take the heat off of him as well, so it’s not like the conditions aren’t there for him to succeed.
United also needs to take a closer look at their recruitment policy and the risks of gambling a significant part of the transfer kitty on young players who are not yet the real deal. Most young players experience periods of poor form, and a large transfer fee can add unnecessary pressure and hinder their development. There’s not much that can be done about this now, but it’s a sink-or-swim situation for the Frenchman in the coming season.
