Stunning Yoro revelation proves Man Utd are still making the same mistakes

Robin Bairner

• 16 Aug 2024 09:18 BST
• 4 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe rolled up to Manchester United promising to eradicate old mistakes and lead the Red Devils into a shiny new era.

Even before the Old Trafford club kicks off their Premier League campaign against Fulham on Friday, though, they have been found guilty of familiar sins.

United have been sluggish in Ratcliffe’s first transfer market, and while this might be excused by the fact he has been shuffling around key members of the footballing staff, what is not pardonable is the lack of due diligence around one of just four permanent signings who have arrived at the club.

READ MORE: Man Utd get chance to land midfield star compared to Pirlo

Current ETV

Leny Yoro

D (C)

Man Utd

Leny Yoro

D (C)

Man Utd

€35.5M

ETV Range

€26.6M - €44.4M

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The Athletic has reported that during the medical for Leny Yoro a potential metatarsal issue was picked up.

Rule one of the Ratcliffe era was that Man Utd would stop overpaying for players. It appears this has already been broken.

PSG have been long-term admirers of Yoro but dropped out of the race for the Lille 18-year-old when they discovered concerns over this issue, with FootballTransfers exclusively breaking the story.

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Club sources informed us that they decided to back away from the deal as they had some physical concerns over the player, in regards to potential injuries and, therefore, the value they would be getting from the deal.

Real Madrid, too, connoisseurs of young talent, particularly from Ligue 1 in recent years, were also reticent to pick up a €70m tab for Yoro.

Yoro warning signs were there

Of course, it’s up to United to decide what Yoro is really worth, but it should be considered a red flag when two clubs who have tracked a player for so long believe he’s overpriced.

The Red Devils, who eventually paid €62m upfront for the teenager with the rest to potentially follow in bonuses, did so despite his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) being only €28.5m. In other words, they have gone all in, as they did before Mason Mount, Antony and Jadon Sancho in previous summers.

The Athletic, meanwhile, reiterates that United have taken a long-term view towards Yoro, too.

“Executives pressed ahead with the signing anyway, due to a firm belief the 18-year-old defender will be a top player for United for the next decade. It was seen as a rare opportunity to capture one of Europe’s highly regarded young players, ahead of Real Madrid, as the fee demonstrates,” it is stated.

Yoro’s potential is, admittedly, enormous. Data analytics experts SciSports believe his ceiling is so high he can become the best centre-back in the world, while the firm also indicates that he is the best teenaged player in his role anywhere currently.

But there is a long way yet for him to get to the top.

United’s recent history is littered with stories of unfulfilled potential from seemingly exciting signings, and this three-month injury setback is a worrying beginning to the new Ratcliffe era, which suddenly does not seem so different from the age of the Glazers.

Yoro is an expensive, and injured, gamble. Too often these have not worked out for Man Utd in the past.