Leny Yoro: Why Man Utd have gone all out to sign Lille's 'new William Saliba'

Like practically every great footballer to come out of France in the last decade, Yoro was born in the suburbs of Paris. But he and his family, who hail from the Ivory Coast, moved to Lille when he was six years old, and he joined the Ligue 1 side's academy in 2017 when he was 12.

He progressed quickly through the youth ranks, and was selected for France at Under-17 and U18 level, while he made his senior Lille debut on the final day of the 2021-22 season against Nice, when he was aged 16 years, six months and one day. That saw him surpass Eden Hazard as the second-youngest player to play for the club.

He continued to make strides into Paulo Fonseca's side the following season, making 15 appearances in all competitions, including 10 starts.

Yoro made his European debut in a Conference League play-off first leg at home to Rijeka in August 2023, and things were going downhill after the Croatians took a first-half lead. But despite still being 17, Yoro showed real leadership and stepped up.

Right before half-time, he helped set up Edon Zhegrova's equaliser by stepping into the final third and winning the ball back before cleverly dancing his way past two defenders and working it towards the forward.

The game was still tied heading towards full-time, but Yoro snatched a vital victory with a towering header in the 89th minute. It gave his side a solid platform for the second leg, which they drew 1-1 to progress into the group stages.

Yoro has gone from strength to strength since his heroic display against Rijeka. He has started 30 of Lille's 34 Ligue 1 matches in 2023-24, and only sat out two games all season. He helped LOSC record the joint-third best defensive record in the league, as they conceded just 34 goals in as many games, on his way to being named in the official Ligue 1 Team of the Season.

He continued to show his attacking flair, too, as he struck a classy volley against Rennes in September to become Lille's youngest league goal-scorer in 10 years, while in November, a day before his 18th birthday, he struck again, this time with a glancing header at home to Toulouse.

"It’s not normal to have an 18-year-old player like Leny with this maturity and the technical qualities he has," said Fonseca. "For me, he will be one of the best central defenders in France and probably in Europe. He is very balanced, and there is no doubt that he will be a very great player."

While Fonseca has praised Yoro's maturity and technical abilities, Jean-Michel Vandamme, the manager of Lille's academy, has highlighted the defender's ability to read the game and follow tactical instructions.

"Leny is a quick learner. He wants to excel and has a real interest in analysing different situations and understanding them, while putting himself under controlled pressure," he said. "When the coach and staff give him advice, he listens, absorbs and applies it. The same is true when he receives advice from his team-mates."

As well as his anticipation and understanding, Yoro stands out for his ability on the ball and has aptitude in starting attacks from defence due to his knack for dribbling his way out of pressure. Then there is his striking prowess, which he demonstrated with three goals from defence last season, with the volley against Rennes being the pick of the bunch.

Yoro is blessed with good height for a central defender, standing at 6'2 (188cm). But he still looks like a teenager and naturally he will need to bulk up physically. He has also been advised to improve his aerial ability and that will be a matter of urgency now he is about to play in the Premier League.

"He's got a good sense of movement and good timing, but when it comes to defensive aerial play, as he's more on his back foot, I think he still needs to improve," said Vandamme. "He still needs to work on his strength."

Having already achieved so much for his age, it should be no surprise that Yoro has been compared with other preciously talented French defenders such as Raphael Varane and William Saliba.

Yoro's willingness to get involved in the attack and score goals makes him more comparable to Saliba, who has five strikes and two assists for Arsenal in the past two seasons.

"At Marseille, I knew Boubacar Kamara, at Saint-Etienne, William Saliba and Wesley Fofana, and now there's Leny Yoro," said Lille team-mate Remy Cabella. "He has all the qualities and potential to do something huge. He's very humble, and that's another of his strengths."

Yoro has completed his switch to Old Trafford and is now set to join up with the squad for their tour of the United States, having missed out on the France squad for Euro 2024.

He has made four appearances for Thierry Henry's France U21 side and was initially called up to represent the hosts at this summer's Olympic Games in Paris. However, Lille withdrew their prized asset, knowing they couldn't risk him picking up any injuries as they looked to broker his departure, and now he can begin preparing for the new season.

Yoro will have big shoes to fill after compatriot Raphael Varane left United last summer and while he is likely to be first choice centre-back alongside Lisandro Martinez, Erik ten Hag may want to ease him into the team initially and start Harry Maguire in the first few matches.

He will be under pressure to make a strong start given his transfer fee and with United desperate to make up for their worst ever Premier League finish. That should not concern Yoro, though, as he has already achieved so much at such a young age.