Manchester United defender Leny Yoro has admitted that he ‘improved’ a “lot” after his encounter with one World Cup-winning star during his fledgling playing career.
Leny Yoro made his senior debut at only the age of 16 during his time at Lille and made a real name for himself during his spell with the Ligue 1 side.
The 18-year-old Frenchman impressed at Lille and attracted the interest of several clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
However, United stunned the world in the summer transfer window after they managed to sign Yoro from Lille amid fierce interest from Real Madrid.
The Red Devils paid an initial £52.18m fee to sign former Lille defender Yoro, with United agreeing to a further £6.73m in add-ons.
It had been reported that Yoro, who made 60 senior appearances for Lille, was keen on a move to the Spanish capital ahead of signing for United.
Yoro talks battle with one player
Leny Yoro has already made his first appearance for Manchester United after he started in the 2-0 win over Rangers in the pre-season match on Saturday.
The French centre-back is tipped to play a key role at Old Trafford, with United manager Erik ten Hag a big admirer of Yoro.
Speaking to MUTV, Yoro opened up about his senior playing career so far and how he crossed paths with Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe had been a mainstay in Ligue 1 with Monaco and PSG before he left the latter in the summer on a free transfer and signed for Madrid.
Yoro insisted that his experience of playing against World Cup winner Mbappe was a “really big” moment and that he relished the opportunity to battle with him.
“I really like to play against, of course, Mbappe,” he said.
“It was a really big, big, big, big, deal, so yeah, for me, it helped me a lot to improve myself.”
Yoro’s encounter with Premier League star
Yoro revealed that he is all too familiar with the physical demands of the Premier League after facing off against Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins last season.
The United summer signing featured in both legs of the quarter-final encounter between former side Lille and Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League.
Villa defeated Lille 2-1 in the first leg at Villa Park, with England international Ollie Watkins opening the scoring in the Europa Conference League contest.
Lille mounted a comeback in the return leg and picked up a 2-1 scoreline on the night, only to suffer a 4-3 defeat to Villa in the penalty shootout in April.
Speaking on Watkins, Yoro said: “It was good against Ollie Watkins because this is a big striker here and, yeah, it was really good.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/mRp1s0u