Yoro's France debut signals what Manchester United have been missing at centre-back

Leny Yoro marked his senior France debut with one of the most complete defensive performances of the Nations League window, helping Zinedine Zidane’s side to a 4-1 win over Belgium in Paris on Monday — a result that leaves France well placed in their group and raises fresh questions about the 20-year-old’s role at Manchester United.

Yoro’s call-up was far from straightforward. He entered the international break having managed just 22 Premier League minutes for United this season, and a shaky Carabao Cup outing against Brighton had done little to build confidence. He was only summoned to the senior squad after Ibrahima Konaté withdrew, and he sat unused through fixtures against Turkey, Belgium and Italy before Jeremy Jacquet’s injury handed him a starting berth.

He made the most of it. Zidane described it as a “great game”, and Yoro himself called the experience “amazing”. The statistics backed both assessments: 72 of 78 passes completed, all four ground duels won, all five aerial duels won, and a combined seven interceptions and clearances — a figure unsurpassed by any player on either side.

Yet the context matters. Yoro’s opportunity existed only because of injuries to Konaté and Jacquet and a suspension for Dayot Upamecano. With France possessing arguably the deepest defensive pool in world football, a return to Under-21 duty next month remains a real possibility if those players are available.

The more instructive comparison is with Jacquet, who joined Liverpool for £60 million last summer and has already established himself as Virgil van Dijk’s regular partner at Anfield. Just four months older than Yoro, Jacquet is now ahead of him in the France pecking order — a direct consequence of consistent club football versus Yoro’s injury-disrupted spell at Old Trafford since his £52 million move from Lille in 2024.

At United, the path to regular minutes is not straightforward either. Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez are Michael Carrick’s first-choice pairing, with Matthijs de Ligt providing further competition for the right-sided berth Yoro would naturally occupy. But Monday’s performance was a reminder of the ceiling he carries — one that, on paper, is higher than any of his rivals for that position.

The challenge now is translating an international audition into sustained club form. If Yoro can bring that level of composure and physicality to Old Trafford week to week, the debate over United’s centre-back hierarchy may not stay settled for long.