Leny Yoro is a professional footballer who plays for Manchester United at the club level. He plays as a centre-back and is widely considered one of the best young defenders in the world.
Yoro came through LOSC Lille’s academy and made his senior debut in 2022. He impressed highly at just 17 years of age and became an important part of Lille’s squad at such a young age. His impressive performances saw Manchester United sign him in the summer of 2024.
At the international level, Yoro has represented France’s youth systems at multiple levels. He has yet to make a senior appearance for the side though.
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Leny Yoro Early Life
Yoro was born on November 13, 2005, in Saint-Maurice in France. He started playing football at five years of age at a French club named Alfortville. He played for them for just a year before his family shifted to Lille.
He then played at a community called Villeneuve-d’Ascq before joining LOSC Lille’s academy in 2017.
Leny Yoro Clubs
Lille
Yoro played a few games for Lille’s youth teams and highly impressed the management and the coaches. He made 13 appearances for the reserve team while also signing a professional contract.
The centre-back made his professional debut in a 3-1 win over Nice in May 2022. He replaced Eden Hazard as the second-youngest Lille player at 16 years and six months. Joel Depraeter-Henry is the only one higher than Yoro on the list.
He started his first senior game in a 2-1 win over Toulouse in September 2022. He made a total of 13 league appearances in the 2022-23 season, establishing himself as an important player for the squad.
Yoro then became the first-choice centre-back in the 2023-24 season, playing 32 Ligue 1 matches at just 18 years of age. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over Rijeka in August 2023. He became an important player for the side as they finished fourth in Ligue 1. They played in the UEFA Champions League playoffs for the 2024-25 season, which they won.
Manchester United
Leny Yoro’s performances saw him make the Ligue Team of the Year in the 2023-24 season. His impressive performances saw him garner interest from plenty of clubs across Europe. Real Madrid were among those clubs and the youngster was also interested in joining them.
However, he had just one year left on his contract at Lille and Real Madrid were unwilling to pay a big amount to sign him. Manchester United then came in and reportedly paid an initial fee of €62 million to sign Yoro in the summer of 2024.
While Lille had accepted the fee, the youngster waited for Real Madrid to make a move. However, it never came and he eventually accepted to join United.
He suffered an injury during the pre-season though and was ruled out for two months.
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International Career
Leny Yoro has yet to make a senior appearance for France but has played for every youth side from U17 to U23. So far, he played the most games for the U18 side with five.
Yoro was also set to compete at the Olympics 2024 after being called up to the U23 squad managed by Thierry Henry. However, Lille didn’t allow him to go because of their UEFA Champions League qualification playoffs.
Leny Yoro Family
The Frenchman was born to Alain Yoro and Flore Baugnies. His father Alain played for Lille’s reserve team and has an Ivorian descent. His mother, meanwhile, is the one of French descent.
Leny Yoro Age – 18 (Birthday – November 13, 2005)
Leny Yoro Height – 1.90m
Leny Yoro Stats
| Team | Year | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| LOSC Lille B | 2021-2023 | 13 | – | – |
| LOSC Lille | 2022-2024 | 60 | 3 | 1 |
| Manchester United | 2024- | – | – | – |
| France U23 | 2024- | 1 | – | – |
Leny Yoro Net Worth
The youngster has a reported net worth of $3 million. He will earn £115,000 per week on his current contract with Manchester United, which expires in 2029. He also has multiple endorsements with sports brands.
FAQs
Q. Has Leny Yoro signed for Manchester United?
A. Yes, Leny Yoro has signed for Manchester United from Lille for an initial reported fee of €62 million plus add-ons.
Q. Is Leny Yoro a left centre-back?
A. Leny Yoro generally plays on the right side of a two-man centre-back setup. However, young players have known to adapt to both sides of the pitch, considering he’s good on the ball as well.
Q. What makes Leny Yoro so good?
A. Yoro is known for his brilliant box defending, aerial ability and composure and technique on the ball. At one point in the 2023-24 season, he was among the top 10% players in Europe for duel success rate and also among the top 10% for aerial duels. Only Virgil van Dijk was on the list with him.
Moreover, he was among the best passers in Ligue 1 with a success rate of 92%.
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