Manchester United spent big in the summer under Erik ten Hag and nearly all of the new signings have made an appearance this season.
The one exception is promising defender Leny Yoro, who made a strong early impression in pre-season, before suffering an injury.
Leny Yoro is making progress in his recovery from injury, with Erik ten Hag expressing confidence with how the defender is getting on.
But if there is one thing Manchester United do not want, or need to do, it is to take any risks with the centre-back’s recovery and long-term fitness.
Romano on Leny Yoro
Leny Yoro suffered a metatarsal injury during pre-season and had to undergo surgery on his foot in August.
It was an unhappy start to his Manchester United career, but there are lots of positive moments to come and the Red Devils want to manage his development extremely carefully.
Speaking on the Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano explains that United are torn between the enthusiasm to want to get him involved – and the practicality of being super-cautious.
Romano said: “This is probably the most complicated situation to handle for Manchester United, because on one side, they want to see Leny Yoro back as soon as possible, but on the other side, they don’t want to force his return too early, because in case he gets another injury, obviously that could be a big problem for May United and for the player. This is a long-term investment.
“This is considered a generational talent for his position as a centre-back. So Man United staff are working with him, are absolutely monitoring his progress on a daily basis, hoping to have him really soon.
“Man United are quite optimistic, but they will not force anything.”
Romano assures that when Leny Yoro does return, he will be absolutely fully fit, with United taking no chances, even if that means waiting a little longer.
He added: “So when you will see Leny Yoro in a Manchester United shirt, he will be 100 per cent ready and fit to compete. This is the idea of the club.”
Manchester United centre-back depth
Manchester United are performing poorly on the pitch, and rushing Leny Yoro back would be the worst thing the club could do right now.
Yoro is better off out of it, while Erik ten Hag’s side try and get a grip on a season which is threatening to spin out of control, in a bad sense.
United have senior centre-backs available, with Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and now Victor Lindelof all fully fit.
Yoro will hope to end the season as first choice, he is the future long-term centre-back at Old Trafford.
United cannot prevent Yoro suffering another injury, that’s part of football, but they can do everything to try and decrease the risk, and aim to put the French defender in the best possible position to succeed.
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