Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre is expecting Leny Yoro to become the successor to the likes of Arsenal’s William Saliba and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate in the French national team.

The Red Devils bought the teenager in the summer for a fee that could rise to £58.9m, but Silvestre believes that Yoro has the ability to match his hefty price tag:

“From his time in Lille, we’ve seen that he’s athletically dominant, he makes the right calls when recovering the ball and has good timing. It’s unfortunate that he got injured early in pre-season because I think he will be a major force at United in the coming years.”

“He still has some things that he can learn, of course, he is not the finished article, but he’s got so much potential. When you look at [William] Saliba and [Ibrahima] Konate for France, for me, he is next in line.”

Yoro has had a tough start to life at Old Trafford

As Silvestre mentions, the 19-year-old got injured in pre-season, which meant he spent several months on the sidelines before making his debut against Arsenal in early December.

Yoro has had to get up to speed quickly with head coach Ruben Amorim using him on a regular basis in his back three, but it is fair to say that the centre-back has struggled somewhat with consistency. That is not a complete surprise, considering his age and the fact that he is trying to adapt to a new team in a new country.

Amorim agrees with Silvestre about the United star’s potential

Speaking to the club’s TV station ahead of the FA Cup tie against Fulham at the weekend, the manager was full of praise for Yoro:

“I think he is going to be a top, top, top player and is going to have a great career here in Manchester. But for that, he knows that he has to prove [himself] in every match, so he is going to be ready for the next one.”

Amorim also revealed that Yoro is working hard in the gym to gain a bit of muscle. That seems like a sensible decision. The Premier League is a lot more physical than Ligue One so if he can gain more strength, it will be very beneficial to his game going forward.

Patience with Yoro is key. At 19, he will need time to become a top-class defender but both Silvestre and Amorim are confident that he will reach the level required.

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here