“I know Real Madrid is a very big club but here is why I snubbed them to join Manchester United and I’m very happy I did it”: Manchester United’s defender Leny Yoro has explained why he snubbed Real Madrid to join Manchester United last summer

Leny Yoro has revealed he is in a Manchester United WhatsApp group predominantly used to help improve their defending.

United centre-back Yoro explained how Ruben Amorim’s coaching staff have been sending his fellow defenders clips about opponents they are facing and mistakes they themselves have made this season. After the teenager was criticised for his display in the win over Southampton in January, he wants to kick on from these setbacks.

He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents: “When I was playing against strikers every week, on the Thursday or Friday before the game, I said to the analyst, ‘Fill the iPad up with the strikers that I’m playing against, and I want to see their best clips and their moments—goals and assists, etc’.”

Ferdinand then asked: “Is that what you’re doing?”

To which he replied: “Yeah, yeah, of course. It’s important. We have a group on WhatsApp. With all the defenders, they send clips of the strikers, their movements, their runs. And outside of that. I have one person who’s doing really a lot of clips on the striker for me to know. I had already someone in Lille, so I keep working with him. [I am] especially looking where to run, for example if the defender has the ball, for a long pass. Or for a cross with the first or second ball, everything is really important.”

Yoro on why he snubbed Real Madrid to join Manchester United. 

Leny Yoro says he picked Manchester United over Real Madrid as the Premier League giants are the bigger club.

The defender was being tracked by both European giants over the summer, and it surprised some to see the teenager end up at Old Trafford.

United reportedly offered selling club Lille far more than Madrid, along with a bumper wage package four times bigger than that on offer in Spain.

Asked by Rio Ferdinand why he picked United, Yoro said: “For me, man, it’s got the most history, it’s the biggest club in the world. And for me to play for United, even when I was young, it was the history, the fans, everything is big here.”

Yoro’s start at United has been disrupted by injury after damaging his foot during pre-season. Asked by Ferdinand to describe his playing style, the youngster continued: “I try to be intelligent on the pitch, to play with my head, to understand the game, the opponent.

“And to be calm. Be calm with the ball, when I defend.

“When I was in Lille, every weekend I was looking at clips of the striker to understand the movements, how he wants to receive the ball. This helps a lot”

Yoro could feature for United in their fourth round FA Cup clash at home to Leicester City on Friday night.