Leny Yoro or Jarrad Branthwaite: Who would be the better signing for Man Utd?

Having played retired 36-year-olds and over-the-hill midfielders at the heart of their defence for the large bulk of the 2023/24 season, it makes sense that Manchester United are currently in the market for a new centre-back.

Lille's Leny Yoro and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite are the two defenders that Man Utd have been most heavily linked with thus far this summer, and both are pretty damn exciting options.

But which centre-back should they sign?

We at 90min have taken a look...

Standing at a billion feet tall (6'5 to be exact), Jarrad Branthwaite wins this category.

And he wins it by one goal and two inches of height to be exact.

Yoro is certainly no slouch in aerial duels, with French defender having the fifth-best aerial duel success rate in Ligue 1 during the 2023/24 season, but what Branthwaite possesses is just slightly on another level physically right now.

Playing under Sean Dyche has certainly allowed him to hone his craft of thumping the ball with his head.

While not the most progressive passer of the ball in the world, Yoro has been brilliant at just keeping things simple in possession since breaking through at LOSC Lille.

He actually completed the second-most passes in Ligue 1 last season with a rather staggering 94% pass completion rate.

As expected for a defender playing under Dyche, Branthwaite's passing wasn't quite as accurate, only completing 79% of his throughout the 2023/24 season.

If you want a defender who gets on the front foot, throws his head at every single ball, and puts his body on the line, then Branthwaite is your man.

If you want a defender who reads the game, has great recovery pace, and sweeps up play effectively, then Yoro is your man.

With that in mind, we'll have to declare this category a draw.

Both are widely considered to be two of the best young defenders in Europe right now, and rightly so. Yoro's and Branthwaite's performances throughout the 2023/24 season were proof of the fact that the pair are destined for great things.

But, you already know who we're picking as the winner of this category, don't you?

It's 18-year-old Yoro of course. The fact that he is one of the best centre-backs in Ligue 1 despite being born in 2005 (yep, 2005) is genuinely absurd. The sky's the limit for the French youngster.

In an ideal world, Man Utd go out this summer and sign both Yoro and Branthwaite. Considering the issues they had at centre-back last season, they need both if they're going to compete at the top end of the Premier League table in 2024/25.

If we have to pick one to sign though, we'd give the nod to Yoro.

A youngster with his upside, an innate ability to read the game off the ball, and make smart decisions on the ball is nearly unheard of.

He's a generational talent that could lead Man Utd's defence for the next 15 years.