Ruben Amorim handed Leny Yoro reality check after Man Utd star's struggles
Leny Yoro was given only his third Manchester United start by Ruben Amorim but was given the run-around by Southampton on a chastening evening before his side ran out 3-1 winners
by David Craven · The MirrorIt should have been so easy for Leny Yoro.
Facing the Premier League's bottom side, who’d only scored a dozen goals and won once all season? It was a perfect opportunity to hand the young French centre-half only his third start in Manchester United colours.
But nothing’s ever easy with these fallen giants anymore. Instead, Yoro was welcomed into the mad house - and you almost felt sorry for him.
No one would fancy playing in this skittish defence which seems to have forgotten how to defend, let alone a teenager with a £52m transfer fee weighing heavy on his shoulders.
But Yoro didn’t help himself, either. Admittedly, he only turned 19 in November. But he got turned inside and out by Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana about the same number of times tonight.
He won an early tussle with his foe but, once Yoro had been caught in possession by the Ghanaian winger in the sixth minute, it descended into a torrid evening.
Ruben Amorim hooked hapless striker Joshua Zirkzee in the first half against Newcastle last time out at Old Trafford.
Yoro wasn’t that bad. But when Sulemana casually knocked the ball past him and barely changed gear to somehow stride clear in the 57th minute, the manager should really have thrown in the white towel.
It was embarrassing: Yoro even seemed to contemplate a rugby tackle at one point to prevent Sulemana homing in on goal. Fortunately for the battered defender, the wideman spurned the chance meaning the humiliated hosts remained just 1-0 down.
Yoro - touted as the next Rio Ferdinand - has not had the easiest of starts at Old Trafford since turning down the likes of Real Madrid to make his summer move from Lille. Breaking a foot in a friendly against Arsenal set him back three months.
He only made his debut in December and this was only his eighth appearance. With a five-year deal, Amorim knows Yoro’s a long-term project.
But he must surely have also hoped a clearly talented player could bring some much-needed composure and solidity to his bedraggled backline now.
That’s not happening. Not yet, anyway. Moments after Amad's equaliser, Harry Maguire came on in the 83rd minute to eventually end Yoro's nightmare.
But he will have at least been able to savour those final moments as Amad got the winner to get his team out of jail yet again. And a hat-trick in injury-time for good measure.
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