Lille defender and Manchester United target Leny Yoro will have a ‘great future’, according to Angel Gomes.
Gomes, 23, knows how difficult it can be coming through an academy at a top club. He had to deal with the pressures of being labelled a ‘wonderkid’ in United’s youth teams, but sadly never made the grade when it came to breaking into the first team.
At 16, Gomes made his debut for United under Jose Mourinho – becoming the youngest debutant at the club since Duncan Edwards. The playmaker would go on to win the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award, too.
Gomes is a key player for Lille nowadays, closing in on his 100th appearance for the Ligue 1 outfit, and he is well-placed to give a verdict on Lille centre-back Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old has featured in all but one of Lille’s 21 league matches this season.
Contre Le Havre, Angel Gomes a joué son 100ème match sous le maillot lillois ⚜️
Congrats @agomes_47 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/DRACj3y4P2
— LOSC (@losclive) February 23, 2024
“Leny, from when he first came (into the first team), I knew immediately that he is was going to go to the top,” Gomes told TNT Sports.
“When I was at Manchester United as a 16-year-old, I understood what it was like to be around first-team players. But (Yoro) has a different type of temperament. His temperament isn’t normal or the same as a 16-year-old or 17-year-old coming in.
“It’s almost like he’s a senior pro, the way he trained and the way he conducted himself and everything. It was easy to see how things could only progress for him.”
With United facing another injury crisis in defence, it comes as no surprise that Yoro is a player that continues to get linked with a switch to Old Trafford.
Standing at 6ft 3ins, Yoro is no pushover and comparisons have been drawn to defenders like Raphael Varane and Virgil van Dijk.
Gomes added: “He played a lot last season and he’s almost started every game this season. (Yoro is) influential for us. He’s not even the type of player where I can say, ‘if he keeps his feet on the ground etc’.
“His feet are already on the ground. The type of kid he is, he can only go on to have a great future.”
Yoro is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes and United have done plenty of business with him down the years.
However, Yoro is not the only centre-back linked with a summer move to Old Trafford.
A long list of potential centre-backs has been formed and I suspect United’s scouting network will be extra busy over the coming months.
Yoro will have no shortage of interest at the end of the season. It remains to be seen how much Lille will demand for his signature.
Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
