Leny Yoro’s first official interview as a Manchester United player has been released.
The French defender made his first appearance for the club on Saturday when United beat Rangers 2-0 at Murrayfield.
However, Yoro’s new interview on MUTV was recorded last Thursday.
Here’s what we learned from the interview…
Influenced by former Reds to make dream move
Yoro revealed he first spoke to former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand two weeks ago. It was previously revealed that he helped persuade the 18-year-old to choose United, despite the fact he was attracting interest from Real Madrid.
The Frenchman completed a transfer from Lille last week and played 45 minutes against Rangers two days later.
“It was like two weeks ago [when I first spoke to Rio],” Yoro told club reporter Harry Robinson. “He called me.
“First of all, I was really impressed to speak with him and, yeah, we spoke like 10 minutes about Man United, so he helped me a lot to make my choice. It was really an honour to speak with him.
“He spoke to me about the club, and that this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world. For me, it was really good to speak about this.”
Yoro was presented with a video message from Ferdinand during the interview.
“That’s crazy!” he said in response. “When I was younger, Rio was one of the best defenders in the world. I think everyone watched United when he was young and, for me, it was a dream to play for this club.”
Academy graduate Angel Gomes played with Yoro at Lille.
“We spoke a lot about United,” Yoro continued. “He just told me this is the biggest club in the world. You know, the fans, even the way to play, the training camp, everything is really big, is really incredible.
“So, yeah, every day I spoke with him about this and it helped me a lot to come here. He’s really happy for me. He sent me a message directly [after the transfer was completed].”
Excited to test himself in the Premier League
Yoro is confident in his abilities as a player, but he cannot wait to test himself in the Premier League.
The teenager has been a starting presence in the Lille defence for the past two years – since he was 17 – and he has quickly risen to prominence.
By joining United, Yoro will be challenging himself in the best league in the world. The Frenchman doesn’t disagree, saying: “Yeah, for me, this is the biggest championship in the world. For me, in the Premier League… this is where the football fully exists. So the fans, the level – because the level is crazy there, there is not an easy game – and, for me, the Premier League is the biggest in the world.”
Opportunity to represent passionate fans
Yoro explains how he is looking forward to how fans at Old Trafford will react to his big tackles. This must be something Ferdinand warned the French teenager about in their previous conversations.
“It’s crazy,” Yoro said. “This is a historic stage and I’m just really excited to play at Old Trafford, to be honest. So, yeah, this is incredible. I already imagined me on the pitch. I was with my family there, and they were impressed too. So, yeah, we took a lot of photos!
“You know, it’s one of the biggest stadiums in the world.
“To be honest, I’m really happy to be here. I’m really happy to play for this team and I’m really excited to see you in Old Trafford.”
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