The mental strength behind Leny Yoro’s wonderful career so far

On the 18th of July Manchester United signed one of the most exciting talents in European football.

Leny Yoro was seen as a pipe dream, a player who was destined to become the latest “galactico” at Real Madrid. But United’s new sporting department aggressively pursued their man and convinced him that Old Trafford was the best place to develop and hone his skills alongside the likes of fellow teenage stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.

At only 18 years of age, some pundits have already questioned United’s decision to splurge €60 million on the centre back and questioned how ready he will be to take on the rigours of Premier League football.

Nonetheless, Yoro has been adapting to challenges and passing tough examinations his whole footballing life.

Jonny Evans and Andre Onana have already spoken out on how impressed they have been by the youngster in training and during pre-season.

The Northern Irishman claimed he “he’s got a real maturity and calmness in his game” and Onana predicted a bright season for the teenager.

His former coaches in France also tell a story of a young man who faced every challenge he was ever set and praise his versatility.

The Athletic report that Aboubacar Sankhare, the former Lens, Toulouse and Dusseldorf defender claimed, “from a very young age, he had this ability to adapt quickly, and he had this maturity. He understood instructions very quickly.”

Yoro’s versatility and willingness to learn has been evident in the fact he started off life as a striker, before moving back to midfield and then making the permanent switch to defence.

His former youth coach at Lille claimed, “he had a very good technical level and a very good in-game intelligence. He can see and play quickly, with his left or right foot, and I think, at professional level, he can play in midfield if a coach needed him to. A little bit like John Stones at Manchester City. In my opinion, Leny has a better potential than John Stones.”

Since making his professional debut the Frenchman has not only impressed scouts with “his physical attributes, but also his technical abilities at just 18. His passing abilities comfortably put him in the top 15% amongst centre-backs in the top 5 leagues this year.”

Yoro wasn’t always the tall confident defender he is today, he underwent a rapid growth spurt where he gained 10cm over a matter of months and this led to a series of small muscular injuries but with the help of the club and adapted training he eventually overcame them.

He would eventually develop rapid speed that could see him keep up with Kylian Mbappe but the fact that he didn’t always possess such velocity ensured he also developed a mature understanding of the game and not having to solely rely on speed.

Szkwarok asserted, “but when he was younger, Leny did not have a lot of speed and he developed the ability to read the game, both defensively and offensively. It is his best quality. A very intelligent player. He had the mentality of a defender. He loved defending, he loved intercepting the ball, winning the ball with his head. It is a little bit rare to have both qualities, to have technique and the mentality of a defender.”

Former Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, who was vital for giving Yoro the chance to play first team football, has waxed lyrical on him claiming “in all my years as a coach, I’ve never seen such a young player with so much maturity. He has so much class. So much elegance. He’s a beautiful player.”

Interestingly, Yoro has also been praised for his ability to recover from errors. As to expected, he made numerous when playing as a 16 year old in France’s senior league but his ability to mentally recover and continue playing his game made quite the impression.

The assistant coach at Lille, Tiago Leal claimed “he made many mistakes that cost us many games, but for us, it was not a problem at all. He was brave, because he never stopped trying to do what we demanded of him. We made a bet on him and as a team we were ready to pay the costs of this bet.”

Under the spotlight at Old Trafford, mistakes will be made, it simply isn’t fair to expect an 18 year old to solve all of the club’s problems.

This could be seen in the opening minutes of the match against Arsenal in Los Angeles when he misjudged the flight of the ball and it caught under his feet allowing the Gunners’ forward to race away towards goal. Luckily, his exceptional pace allowed him to get back to make a block but these issues will happen from time to time.

Nonetheless, just like Mainoo and Garnacho, Yoro seems to have the personality and confidence to grow and not sink into the shadows after putting a foot wrong.

Luckily for the Frenchman, Old Trafford is a patient place and will surely respond to the youngster’s skill and effort and hopefully the Theatre of Dreams will be the stage Yoro needs to fulfill his jaw-dropping potential.

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