Manchester United’s £70 million center-back has become a soft target! Defensive errors keep occurring, Amorin explains the reasons

Manchester United center-back Lenny Yaro has been under heavy pressure recently due to a series of defensive mistakes. In the away loss to Aston Villa, the young Frenchman was once again blamed for the defeat, being directly responsible for both of Morgan Rogers' goals as he failed to mark him closely, giving the England international plenty of space to shoot.

In the first goal, the ball nearly went out of bounds when Rogers received it, but Yaro did not close him down in time. Villa’s midfielder easily cut inside and struck a stunning shot. Former United defender Gary Neville criticized Yaro’s lackadaisical defending.

“Rogers certainly scored a very, very special goal,” Neville commented. “After a challenge between John McGinn and Luke Shaw, the ball was played a bit too far, and seeing that Yaro didn’t immediately pressure Rogers when he controlled the ball, I think he was too slow for a United right center-back. Doing that in the Premier League will cause problems. There’s no doubt Yaro must be quicker to close down and ensure he marks his opponent outside the box.”

In the second half, Rogers scored a similar goal from a similar position. Just like in the first half, Yaro only went to block after the shot was taken. Neville added, “I’ve played center-back too, and when you face a special player, you have to be brave and confront them. If the opponent makes a mistake controlling the ball, you must immediately disrupt them. Don’t just follow them step by step. Yaro’s slow defending was a big mistake.”

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorin confirmed after the 1-1 draw with West Ham that he had spoken to Yaro about his recent performances, but the 40-year-old Portuguese coach’s efforts have clearly not worked. In the previous 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, Amorin was caught on camera angrily criticizing Yaro’s slow reactions on the bench. “The ball has been rolling for 30 minutes, what is Yaro doing?” Amorin complained to his coaching staff in Portuguese.

Manchester United spent €70 million to outbid Real Madrid and sign Yaro from Lille in Ligue 1, offering him a weekly wage of £120,000, which can rise to £140,000! He can no longer see himself as a protected “young player” but must quickly become a key pillar of the team.

United legend Roy Keane said, “You might have the best talent in the world, but we always emphasize that you must give your all. When the game becomes dull or reaches critical moments, you have to think, ‘I need to contribute for the team.’ However, many players, like Diogo Dalot, have not performed well enough. I won’t say ‘cheat,’ but they simply haven’t done enough. After the match, I look at him—not at anything else—but ask, ‘Do you think you could have stopped that ball?’ Like the first goal, when Rogers got the ball on the wing, we all sat there knowing danger was coming. Don’t they realize the risk?”

Rio Ferdinand believes that currently no one at Manchester United is capable of guiding young defenders like Yaro and Aiden Haven, which may be the root of the problem. “I think these two young players are good signings who need time to adjust. It’s like when I played with Phil Jones. When you join a team, you need to integrate. Phil joined a more confident and competitive Manchester United, which is different. You need experienced players around you so you can rely on them when needed—they can pull you up and lead you forward.”

Amorin publicly defended Yaro’s defending: “Rogers can attack from both left and right, so it’s difficult to mark him one-on-one. Both Aiden (Haven) and Lenny (Yaro) are genuinely young players and often have to defend one-on-one. Luke Shaw is the same. I think our defense has been decent.”

Manchester United’s overall defense has been relatively solid, but a small lapse from Yaro combined with Rogers’ moment of brilliance decided the match. Previously, after giving away a penalty in the away game against Crystal Palace, Yaro was substituted and seen crying on the sidelines. He must become stronger because opponents have clearly identified his weakness and are beginning to target it deliberately.