Rio Ferdinand singled out one Manchester United star who had a real “tough evening” in the 3-1 Premier League comeback win against Southampton at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have seen an improvement in results under manager Ruben Amorim since the start of 2025, following a dismal end to last year.
The Red Devils lost four matches in a row — three of which were Premier League matches — last December alone before signing off 2024.
However, United bounced back with a 2-2 Premier League draw against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the Emirates.
Amorim’s men were left chasing the match against Southampton on Thursday evening after the Saints took the lead before half-time.
The ball landed in the back of the United net after a Southampton corner brushed off the back of Manuel Ugarte and Andre Onana was unable to deny the opener.
However, Amad Diallo then scored a stunning hat-trick late in the second half to ensure that United walked away with all three Premier League points.
Ferdinand on Man Utd player’s struggles
Manchester United picked up only their seventh Premier League win of the season after Thursday’s comeback victory over Southampton at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have climbed to 12th place in the Premier League table under Ruben Amorim and United are 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
United will resume their Premier League campaign on Sunday against Brighton at Old Trafford, with kick-off slated for 2pm UK time.
Leny Yoro endured a difficult performance against Southampton and the 19-year-old French defender was left deeply exposed in the three-man backline.
United manager Amorim opted to rotate his backline and Harry Maguire dropped to the bench and Leny Yoro was put into the starting XI for Thursday’s match.
However, the former Lille star found Kamaldeen Sulemana a handful on the night and the Southampton attacker tormented Yoro over the course of the match.
Amorim finally put Yoro out of his misery late into the second half after he replaced him with former United captain Harry Maguire in the 82nd minute.
Rio Ferdinand has insisted that United centre-back Yoro will “learn” a lot from his experience and it is a positive “learning curve” for the youngster.
“Leny Yoro I thought had a tough evening,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents, as per the Metro.
“I think the winger gave him a hard gave, the winger showed him today this is the Premier League, you can play against Southampton and there’s going to be tough players to play against.
“That’s a good learning curve for him, I think he’ll learn from that.”
Amorim talks Yoro and Man Utd struggles
Speaking after the match, Amorim dropped his two cents on why Yoro and the United backline looked vulnerable at times against Ivan Juric’s men.
“I think it’s not panic,” he said at his post-match press conference, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“In the first half, we were too late to every ball and we tried to press a little bit high, and we suffered with that.
“Mateus [Fernandes] between the lines, [Tyler] Dibling between the lines, [Kamaldeen] Sulemana with the pace.
“It’s a different game from Liverpool and Arsenal. We have to stretch the team more.
“We let Leny [Yoro] all the time, one against one, with more spaces to cover, and we suffered more.
“So, I think it’s not panic, we need, and I need, to understand the game.”
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