The next Van Dijk or Saliba? Lille teen Leny Yoro is a star in the making

Robin Bairner

• 20 Sept 2023 11:56 BST
• 13 min read

Lille centre-back Leny Yoro is a young player going places.

At 17 years old, he is quickly winning a regular starting berth for a side that expects to be competing towards the top end of the Ligue 1 table.

His performance against Rennes on 17 September was perhaps his most complete display to date. Amidst an exemplary defensive performance, he snatched the opening goal of the game with an exemplary volley that any centre-forward in the world would have been proud of.

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What’s more, he did it under the nose of Nemanja Matic, a player more than twice his age but still a two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea.

“Leny has a lot of personality and he’s having a good time at the moment. He has great maturity and I predict a great future for him,” head coach Paulo Fonseca said of the teenager, who has already been capped by France U21, after the match.

World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti, who now shoulders Yoro as a teammate at Lille, added: “Only he who will show what he is capable of. That's what he does and I think he can do a lot better. We don't care about age and he showed today that he's a boss.

“But we must not shout it too quickly, too loudly, saying that it is the best, this, that. He has great qualities and room for improvement. He has to work.”

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Yoro does indeed have progress to make, yet his clear potential is underlined by the fact that data analytics experts SciSports rate him second in the world in terms of 17-year-old centre-backs with the most potential, with only Kasimpasa’s Yasin Ozcan ahead of him.

He is a modern centre-back in terms of his technical qualities, with a strong range of passing that will only improve as he matures as a player. His ability on the ball was underscored by that fine strike against Rennes to open his Ligue 1 account.

To this end, he is not dissimilar to Arsenal’s William Saliba, whose career trajectory he is attempting to mirror with such a promising start to life in France’s top flight.

But he is also developing physically in an impressive fashion and has standout defensive qualities. Last season, his first at senior level, he finished narrowly outside the top performing third of Ligue 1 centre-backs.

What next for Leny Yoro?

Europe’s biggest clubs are already attentive to Yoro’s progress at Lille, but what type of move should he next make?

According to SciSports, among the leading options for the teenager are the teams known for developing young talent: Napoli, Brighton, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund all rate well.

But in the mix is another intriguing option in the form of Liverpool.

At present, the Anfield club cannot promise him significant game time, but as Virgil van Dijk’s career winds down, he could be honed as a replacement. There are already shades of the Dutchman’s passing game in there.

SciSports believe that Jurgen Klopp’s side offer him ample opportunity to develop in a playing style and formation that suits his game, and this could offer him a fast-track to the top. From the Reds’ perspective, meanwhile, it would cut out a middleman and mean signing a massive up-and-coming talent at a reasonable fee.

Given Yoro’s explosive rise, Liverpool must at least consider him as an option.