Bruno Fernandes was once again the star of the show for Manchester United as they beat Athletic Club 3-0 in Spain.
Manchester United have one foot in the Europa League final after a dominant performance at the San Mames Stadium.
United fans raved about Casemiro’s performance – it was the experienced Brazilian who nodded the visitors into the lead.
Bruno Fernandes scored a quickfire brace to put United in complete control of the tie. Unlike against Lyon a few weeks ago, Ruben Amorim’s side were able to take advantage of Bilbao’s red card to bring a three-goal advantage back to Old Trafford.
United’s club captain will deservedly steal the limelight from the 3-0 victory, but credit should also go to an unsung hero in defence.
Bruno Fernandes excellent, Leny Yoro deserves extreme praise
Not only were United clinical in Spain, but they also earned a hard-fought clean sheet against an Athletic Club outfit who have been flying in La Liga.
Leny Yoro has been superb under Amorim, and the 19-year-old enjoyed one of his best performance in United’s most important match of the season.
Yoro started on the left of defence with Luke Shaw rested after his return in the Premier League.
Data provided by SofaScore shows just how impressive Yoro was in the heart of defence.
Across the entire 90 minutes, Yoro took 77 touches and completed 93% of his passes (62/67).
Amorim has tasked Yoro with carrying the ball forward this season, and he showcased his strengths again here with a 100% success rate with his dribbles.
Defensively, he made three clearances and two interceptions, while also using his pace to frequently cover for Patrick Dorgu on the left.
Yoro made more interceptions and clearances than both other centre-backs Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. A dominant performance from the summer signing.
Leny Yoro is gaining key experience with Man United
When Yoro was signed in the summer, it wasn’t entirely clear what his position in the squad would be. He was certainly brought in to strengthen the first team, but even he wouldn’t have expected 29 appearances at this point in the season after his lengthy ankle injury.
What is becoming clear is that Yoro is a future superstar and at just 19 years of age he is picking up priceless experience in the latter stages of European competitions.
After an incredible display in Spain, Yoro deserves to keep his starting spot at Old Trafford next week.
READ MORE: Five things learned as Manchester United beat Athletic Club 3-0
Looking forward to next season, Yoro can expect to be a key player in Amorim’s defence. He looks like a great fit for the 3-4-2-1 system and his qualities in possession make him a perfect profile of player.
Yoro is improving under Amorim and the sky is his limit for his potential at Manchester United.
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