"More challenging is to find the next Mbappé"
Manchester United signed 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro for £52.1 million.
The signing is the game-changer Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs in his attempt to reset the club’s recruitment policy and make decisive transfers, rather than desperate ones.
For the first time in over 10 years, United have beaten a major rival to the signing of a player regarded as one of the brightest young footballing talents.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain both attempted to sign France under-21 international Yoro from Lille this summer.
However, neither club was willing to match Manchester United’s offer, despite Yoro having just 12 months left on his contract with the Ligue 1 team.
Yoro had even shown a preference for moving to Madrid, considering running down his contract to join Santiago Bernabéu with minimal compensation due to his age.
Ultimately, United’s persistence and willingness to pay a fee now convinced Lille to make the deal.
Yoro was persuaded that Old Trafford and the Premier League would be the ideal place for the next stage of his career.
In recent years, Manchester United have signed many young talents but none of them have been the target of significant rivals.
Antony and Jadon Sancho were signed for hefty fees despite United facing no obvious competition for their signatures.
In contrast, their attempts to sign Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham during the 2019-20 season from FC Salzburg and Birmingham City, respectively, failed, as United couldn’t convince either player to choose them over Borussia Dortmund.
Yoro’s transfer is different.
Not only did United win the race for his signature, but they also negotiated a realistic fee and completed the deal before the pre-season began, avoiding the prolonged negotiations and panic deals that have characterised the club’s recent transfer business.
What has Changed?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to target top young talent and move more quickly to get deals done.
In March 2024, United’s minority owner said:
“I would rather sign the next [Kylian] Mbappé rather than spend a fortune buying success.
“It’s not that clever buying Mbappé. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappé, next Jude Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”
United’s new approach traces back to the audit conducted by Ratcliffe’s INEOS team almost a year ago after acquiring a minority stake in the club and taking over football operations from the Glazer family.
During the extensive due diligence examining United’s finances, Ratcliffe tasked senior advisors, including Sir Dave Brailsford, Rob Nevin, and Jean-Claude Blanc, with evaluating the past five years of player recruitment at Old Trafford.
The audit revealed excessive overspending, indecision leading to inflated transfer fees, and a flawed policy of extending player contracts merely to prevent them from becoming free agents.
This policy was seen as having resulted in a bloated squad, with some players remaining who should have left the club two or three years ago.
This summer has already seen a shift in approach.
Defender Raphaël Varane and forward Anthony Martial left at the end of their contracts, while £40 million has been raised from several transfers.
More exits are expected, with United showing a ruthlessness that has been missing since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Who else could Leave?
It is possible that Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen could leave for the right offer.
Casemiro is also a possibility, despite still having two years left on his contract.
Antony can leave on loan depending if a club can cover his £70,000-a-week salary.
This suggests a clear-out. However, this is something Manchester United has mostly resisted in recent years due to the Glazers’ policy.
One source said:
“Joel and Avram [Glazer] would be happy to get rid of Wan-Bissaka or Lindelöf.”
“But they would look at the numbers and ask, ‘How much could we get for them and how much would it cost to replace them?’
“When they were told that it would cost half as much to keep the players until the end of their contract rather than get rid and sign a replacement, the answer would always been to keep them for another year.
“They would rather pay £10 million in wages and lose the player on a free than spend an extra £20 million to sign a better player to replace them.”
Role Changes & Appointments
Manchester United have not just made changes to their transfer approach.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has hired Omar Berrada as CEO, Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director to lead the football operations at Old Trafford.
John Murtough, who left his role as football director in April 2024, had previously worked with director of negotiations Matt Hargreaves earlier in the year to create a list of targets.
This list has shaped Manchester United’s summer strategy.
The club is focusing on players in the final year of their contracts, aiming to capitalise on clubs needing to make financial decisions rather than football-related ones.
A big change is the involvement of Ashworth and Wilcox, who are operating within a structure led by Ratcliffe and Berrada.
Berrada, the former Manchester City chief operations officer who facilitated City’s deal for Haaland in 2022, is a key figure in this new regime, which contrasts with the previous management under the Glazers.
Another crucial element is Erik Ten Hag’s reduced role in the player recruitment process.
Although he still provides input and remains involved, the main decisions and actions are now managed by Ashworth and Wilcox.
This marks a substantial shift.
In his first summer in charge, Ten Hag had identified Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong as his priority target, believing the former Ajax midfielder was keen on moving to Old Trafford.
But despite Ten Hag’s persistence, De Jong’s representatives said the Dutch international wanted to experience normal life in the Spanish city, having faced nearly two years of Covid restrictions in Barcelona.
When it was clear that De Jong would not leave Barcelona, there were few options available.
Manchester United lost their first two games of the season, leading to a panicked £70 million signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid.
Swiftly Moving On
Under the new structure, there is an emphasis on moving on swiftly if a deal cannot be agreed.
This approach was demonstrated in the pursuit of Leny Yoro.
After having two bids for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected by Everton, Ashworth and Wilcox decided to increase their offer for Yoro and successfully signed the Ligue 1 player.
Manchester United may still pursue Branthwaite or increase their interest in Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt, but by signing Yoro, they have addressed a crucial area of recruitment.
He was a player on their radar, with United quietly laying the foundations for a move before the end of the 2023-24 season.
Having been outmanoeuvred by Real Madrid when attempting to sign Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes in 2021, United chose to move quickly on this occasion and have been rewarded for doing so.
Manchester United’s first summer signing was Bologna’s 23-year-old forward Joshua Zirkzee for £36.5 million.
The Netherlands international is seen as a versatile player capable of playing in various attacking positions, helping to ease the goalscoring burden on Rasmus Højlund.
Additionally, he fits the club’s profile of being young and relatively affordable.
With over six weeks remaining in the summer transfer window, United still have several squad areas to address.
PSG’s Manuel Ugarte and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana have been identified as midfield targets.
A new right-back and an additional centre-back are also possibilities.
Regardless of future moves, Ratcliffe and his team have firmly pressed the reset button at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are now operating more swiftly and decisively, spending less money, and being more efficient in moving players on.
The previous sense of panic and ineptitude has dissipated, but ultimately, the success of this new approach will be judged by on-field performance.
However, the signs at Manchester United are promising for the first time in years.
Loading ...