Manchester United centre-back Leny Yoro had a learning experience in the team’s win over Crystal Palace.
A happy day for Manchester United’s players was a lot more forgettable for centre-back Leny Yoro.
Yoro was substituted as early as the 53rd minute in Manchester United’s 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace, with the Red Devils trailing 1-0 at the time.
United went on to equalise a minute later through Joshua Zirkzee, before Mason Mount scored a winning goal.
Yoro was still left feeling disconsolate, looking unhappy on the bench after giving away a first half penalty for Palace to score.
Rio Ferdinand on Leny Yoro
Leny Yoro is still only 20-years-old and only made his Premier League debut in December 2024. This match completed his first full year of competitive football for United.
Yoro has shown that he belongs at this level, but just like with experienced professionals, there will be missteps along the way.
Former United great Rio Ferdinand responded to a screengrab of Yoro looking unhappy on the bench after being taken off.
Ferdinand attempted to put Yoro’s tough day into perspective, posting on X: “This game can send you crazy at times… Use these learnings as fuel.
“He’s a young player + will bounce back. Hard work, dedication & his talent is tops. New day tomorrow.”
Ferdinand’s comments reflected his faith in the Manchester United defender, having been a long-time supporter of the Frenchman.
Leny Yoro has bounced back before
Leny Yoro was criticised at the start of 2025 after a tough game against Southampton. He recovered from this impressively, to become a deserved automatic starter under Ruben Amorim, a shining light in a poor season.
This season Yoro has retained his place as a regular starter, with Ferdinand saying that he has the ability to become the best defender in the world.
Rio Ferdinand has always urged patience with Leny Yoro
“He’s a student of the game, he sees his mistakes, he acknowledges his mistakes and he tries to learn from those mistakes.”
Speaking about his previous tough outing against Southampton and subsequent recovery, Ferdinand noted how Yoro worked hard to correct his mistakes.
Against Palace, Yoro was a little unfortunate, appearing to slip on the way to fouling his opponent and conceding a penalty.
He also made an important early block to prevent a goalscoring chance.
It wasn’t all bad – and Yoro doesn’t need to be hard on himself. But you can guarantee he will be back stronger than ever.