Manchester United fans got their first glimpse of Leny Yoro on British soil as the teenage centre-back put in a solid performance on his debut in pre-season.
United were taking on Rangers at Murrayfield in Edinburgh in their second warm-up fixture ahead of the new campaign, having lost their first against Rosenborg earlier in the week.
United secured the services of Yoro for a fee that could rise to nearly £60million earlier this week. The 18-year-old defender arrives at United with a reputation as one of the very best young defenders in the world, with the Red Devils managing to get a deal over the line despite interest in the player from Real Madrid.
Leny Yoro’s game by numbers vs. Rangers:
45 minutes played
100% duels won (1/1)
92% pass accuracy (44/48)
4 accurate long balls
2x possession won
1 block
1 clearance
1 tackle
0 fouls conceded
0x dribbled pastAn impressive start. 💪#MUFC pic.twitter.com/2yegHB5yom
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) July 20, 2024
Yoro started against Rangers and played with calmness and composure throughout his 45-minute outing. All of United’s outfield players were substituted at half-time as Erik ten Hag made 10 changes for the second half, opting to get minutes into plenty of his players’ legs ahead of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
There were a couple of notable highlights during Yoro’s outing. One of them saw the youngster use his pace to pull off a last-ditch challenge on Ranger’s striker Cyriel Dessers, while another saw him ping a pinpoint long ball from the center of defense to pick out left-back Sam Murray.
United fans will hope Yoro’s encouraging first outing is a sign of things to come from the youngster. All of Erik ten Hag’s defenders struggled with injuries last season, and Yoro’s youthfulness will hopefully mean he is less likely to succumb to fitness problems.
