Former Man Utd star tips £78m Ratcliffe centre-back target to be transformative Old Trafford signing

Manchester United have been told that major summer transfer Lenny Yoro is destined to be a huge star in the game as the pursuit for his signature hots up.

Teenage centre-back Yoro has emerged as one of the rising stars of the European game this season, already establishing himself as a regular starter at his club Lille.

Indeed, the 18-year-old is clearly improving every week, glowing some rave reviews for his performances from the French media.

United are well known to be one of the frontrunners in the chase for Yoro, along with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and PSG.

New minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to make Old Trafford the best place to develop exciting young prospects and has several names on his shortlist already.

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A new centre-back is the first task for Ratcliffe and landing Yoro could be one of the first tasks for incoming new Man Utd director of football Dan Ashworth to complete.

Scouting reports given to Ratcliffe, have the INEOS owner convinced of Yoro’s ability and the future growth he will undergo.

And that is something that Yoro’s Lille teammate Angel Gomes is convinced of too after waxing lyrical about the surremely talented defender.

Gomes came through United’s youth system but only played 10 senior games for the club before his free transfer switch to Lille in 2020.

The former England Under-21 international has not looked back since, going on to score eight goals in 99 appearances for the French outfit.

Yoro a top talent who has it all

Having seen what it takes to make it at Old Trafford, Gomes feels that Yoro has everything it takes and more to become one of the best defenders in Europe.

“As soon as he arrived in the group, I understood that he was going to reach the summits”,  Gomes told he told Eurosport.

“When I discovered the pros at the age of 16 at Manchester United, I understood that it was different. He already had the right temperament.

“And that’s not normal for a 16- or 17-year-old player arriving. It’s like he’s already an experienced player. And it showed in the way he trained, the way he behaved. His progress was obvious.”

Yoro has scored three times in 28 games this season for a Lille side who currently sit third in the Ligue 1 table as they look to secure Champions League qualification.

As for United, they are back in action on Sunday when they head to Luton Town in the Premier League.

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