Manchester United fans are waking up to bad news ahead of the game against Real Betis as Leny Yoro’s injury situation doesn’t look good.
The Frenchman was seen wearing a protective boot and walking with crutches as United players left training at UCLA as fans fear the worst for the 18-year-old.
It is not the way anyone would have wanted him to start his United career and it’s even truer for the fans, who are still reeling off the trauma of last year’s freak injury situation.
However, there is an opportunity in every crisis as seen last year when Willy Kambwala stepped up admirably and earned himself a La Liga move this summer.
Something similar might happen this time too…
Leny Yoro’s injury opens up spot for another
Yoro has started every game since joining, playing the first 45 minutes when Erik ten Hag has generally played his “stronger” of the team XIs.
He has started alongside Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire as Lisandro Martinez is on extended holiday after his winning exploits at Copa America.
But with Yoro out, there is a space alongside presumably Maguire for at least the Betis and Liverpool fixtures, one which can be filled by a talented 21-year-old center-back coming off of a highly successful loan spell in Scotland.
Will Fish has long been tipped as one of the better talents coming out of the academy and with nearly two full seasons of professional football experience with Hibernian in Scotland, is well suited to slot into the team.
At Aberdeen, he impressed with his maturity and quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet, also playing in Europe as the Scottish team surpassed expectations.
He was a steady presence in defence and extremely reliable. Standing at over six feet, he has the frame to perform traditional defensive tasks well, and his ability on the ball is underrated.
If Victor Lindelof is sold, Fish could easily remain at the club and be a rotational piece since he’s right-footed just like the Swede.
A breakout opportunity
Despite having two very successful loan spells, Fish has flown under the radar when talents who can break out are talked about among the fans.
That is likely because he has an understated style of play where he will give you 7/10 performances in most games, not wowing the fans with his passes or dribbles but doing simple things well and being a steady presence.
For a homegrown rotational piece, that is the ideal skill set and his injury record is a breath of fresh air too. He is yet to have any serious injury in his career and has made 66 appearances for Hibernian across the last two loan spells.
For added context, Raphael Varane missed 29 games for United in the last two seasons, almost as many as Fish played per season for Hibernian.
Just like Scott McTominay broke through at the club by listening to the manager, putting his head down and just doing the job asked of him, Fish can be a similarly invaluable addition, potentially saving the club millions in the market if they were to seek another center-back.
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