Leny Yoro Has Survived Two Managers and a Nightmare Start. Next Season Could Be Different.

Manchester United’s summer shopping list is long. A midfield rebuild tops it. Left back is a problem. They need a striker. Goalkeeper might be in play. But if you look at the defensive depth chart and wonder why the club keeps getting linked with center backs, you’re not alone.

The reality is simpler than it looks. Matthijs de Ligt hasn’t played since November. Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire keep picking up knocks. Maguire turns 34 next season. That’s three question marks in a backline that Michael Carrick needs to rely on. So yes, United has been linked with Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and a couple teenagers from Europe. But there’s a 20-year-old French kid already in the building who might solve a lot of this.

Leny Yoro arrived at Old Trafford in 2024 with a reputation as the best young center back in Europe. Real Madrid wanted him. PSG wanted him. United paid up to £59 million to get him. INEOS called him a generational talent. Then he broke his foot in his second preseason game and missed four months.

That was just the beginning.

Erik ten Hag got fired. Ruben Amorim came in and switched to a back three. Yoro had never played that system. He had to learn it under a coach who had never worked in England. Somehow he still managed to be one of the bright spots in a dreadful season, helping drag United to the Europa League final. They lost 1-0 to Spurs. Yoro was one of the few players who could walk off the pitch without his head down.

Last year hit him harder. Second season syndrome is real. He started as first choice in Amorim’s back three, then lost his spot after a rough patch. The low point came in November when Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta absolutely worked him at Selhurst Park. A month later, Amorim was gone too. Fired after a blowup with sporting director Jason Wilcox over tactics. Performance on the pitch probably would have gotten him sacked anyway.

So by the time Carrick took over, Yoro had been through two head coaches in less than 18 months. Stability is not something he has had at this club. Not even close.

Carrick immediately switched back to a back four. That helped. But he went with Maguire and Martinez as his starting pair, and it worked. United went on a run that nobody saw coming. They locked up Champions League qualification with three games to spare. That felt impossible back in January.

Yoro got his chance in February when Martinez hurt his calf. He started six straight matches, including a 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Then he got hurt himself. Missed the Chelsea game. Didn’t start again the rest of the season. By the time the summer transfer rumors started, it was almost like people had forgotten he was there.

But next season should be a different story. Carrick’s interim strategy was built around protecting Casemiro. That worked. But it’s not how he wants to play long term. United will push higher next year. They’ll press more. They’ll play out from the back with more ambition. That requires center backs who can cover ground, win duels, and pass through lines. Arsenal’s William Saliba and Gabriel are the model. Yoro and 19-year-old Ayden Heaven are the guys some United staff believe can become that.

Yoro is 6’3″ with good movement for his size. He’s working on strength this summer. His heading needs work. That’s normal for a young defender coming from France. On the ball, his first touch is clean and he can dribble out of pressure. His passing is there but the conviction isn’t yet. Martinez is the master at that. Yoro can learn.

Casemiro is gone. That’s a big loss. United signed Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos this summer. Neither is a pure defensive presence in the air the way Casemiro was. That makes Yoro’s height even more valuable. He’s a solution to the set piece problem and a solution to the high line Carrick wants to play.

De Ligt still isn’t back. No return date. Martinez and Maguire get banged up regularly. The path is there. Yoro just needs to walk through it and stay healthy. If he does, the player INEOS spent £59 million on might finally show up. Heaven won’t be far behind him either.