Manchester United knew about Leny Yoro’s metatarsal issue before finalising deal | OneFootball

Manchester United reportedly knew about Leny Yoro’s injury problems before signing the Frenchman this July.

The Red Devils shocked the footballing world with the capture of the exceedingly talented Yoro, as it was firmly expected by most that he only had eyes for Real Madrid.

Nonetheless, United paid the money that Madrid would not and with the help of his former club LOSC Lille, got a deal over the line for the 18 year old.

Despite impressing in his opening game of pre-season against Glasgow Rangers, he suffered a metatarsal injury in the first half of the club’s first game of the United States tour against Arsenal and he successfully underwent surgery once back in the United Kingdom.

The Athletic report that United were aware of a potential problem before sealing the deal but still pressed ahead with the signing anyway.

The outlet states that all four summer recruits have been brought in for the long-term and this is most apparent with Yoro as “medical scans showed a possible metatarsal issue when he joined last month from French top-flight club Lille.”

“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.”

United tried to manage the situation as he only trained in 50% of their sessions. But he broke the fifth metatarsal of his left foot against Arsenal and will be out of action for a reported three months.

The Frenchman will not be rushed back from injury and there was also the expectation he would not play every week anyway due to his young age. This meant that the signing of a second centre back, Matthijs de Ligt, was seen as a priority.

There were reports that Paris Saint-Germain had pulled out of a move for the defender due to concerns over his injuries but Fabrizio Romano has since rubbished such claims.

Manager Erik ten Hag has already lavished praise on Yoro, claiming that he is “mature” enough and has a fire burning inside him to return to action as soon as possible.

Nonetheless, with United’s penchant for attracting injury-prone players in the context of Luke Shaw’s latest medical issue and new signings De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui also having had their fair share of problems in the past, fans will be crossing all their fingers that the Yoro issue was a one-off incident and not a deeper underlying problem.

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