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LOSC Lille centre-back Leny Yoro is one of the most sought-after defenders in world football and is only 18 years old.
Although Real Madrid are considered favorites to sign the starlet, it has been reported that Manchester United along with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have significant interest in the player.
According to The Athletic, some of Europe’s biggest clubs are attracted by “his defensive presence, ease with the ball and maturity”.
The American magazine explained in detail why the young French star is being talked about as one of the next big things in world football and why there are so many big clubs looking for his signature.
Despite being excellent in modern aspects of defense as well, “Yoro is in some respects a return defender, due to his tendency to operate as the last man in Lille’s backline.”
The defender is “agile and reads danger well, similar to Liverpool centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk”.
He averaged 1.2 tackles per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 last season, but even more impressively was able to keep his side clean, committing just 0.7 fouls and 0.03 errors per 90, all of which indicate a maturity beyond his age.
Yoro reads the game effectively and reacts to danger rather than running in like many young defenders would.
The Lille centre-back is also very successful with the ball as “he completes most of his attempted passes, which are generally confined to his team’s half of the pitch. However, he has also shown that he can try and make more ambitious runs into opposition territory.”
The stats show that the defender can err on the side of caution when it comes to passing and isn’t the best at advancing the ball, but then again, it’s impossible to expect an 18-year-old to have all these complex aspects of his game covered at once.
Furthermore, “team style and coach requirements” must also be taken into account when analyzing a player’s stats, especially one so young.
Yor’s big appeal to Europe’s elite is that he “has the qualities needed to break into the starting XIs of these teams but can also develop for a season before becoming a permanent first choice”.
The report suggests that Yoro would fit in well with Lisandro Martinez at United due to the Argentinian’s excellent ball progression stats, but the potential partnership could prove difficult in aerial duels.
It has also been suggested that United would try to remedy their aerial deficit by partnering Yoro with Harry Maguire, however, “he doesn’t try to carry much (38.2 per 90 last season) and partnering him with Yoro can hurt their game in the game.”
However, if United sign Yor, they would likely sell a player such as Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof as they have already made a bid for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
“Regardless of what happens in Yoro’s future, his talent suggests he is capable of making the leap to the top and contributing positively in both the short and long term.”
What is clear is that the summer addition of Yor and another top-class defender such as Branthwaite or Jean-Clair Todibo should do much to remedy United’s defensive woes of the past season.
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