Leny Yoro Advocates for Harry Maguire's Contract Extension at Manchester United
Manchester United's young defender Leny Yoro has publicly expressed his strong desire for the club to secure a new deal for Harry Maguire, emphasising the invaluable guidance he has received from his experienced teammate throughout a challenging season.
Navigating a Turbulent Campaign with Maguire's Support
Yoro's debut campaign at Old Trafford has been marked by inconsistency, with the twenty-year-old featuring for just one minute during Michael Carrick's initial four matches in charge. Former manager Ruben Amorim previously suggested that Yoro "thinks too much" about errors as he adapts to the intense scrutiny of Premier League football.
However, under the daily mentorship of Maguire, Yoro has discovered a rhythm, completing four consecutive full ninety-minute appearances and demonstrating his potential to become a cornerstone of United's defence next season.
"I think every player has this phase in a season," Yoro explained. "Sometimes you have bad moments, bad performances, and I'm happy to do good games now, to rebound well, so I'm just happy with the result."
Maguire's Pivotal Role in Yoro's Development
When pressed on Maguire's specific contributions, Yoro detailed the extensive support. "With all the experiences he has he gave me a lot of tips. He spoke to me a lot on the pitch, so this helped me a lot," he stated.
Yoro elaborated further, noting: "He always speaks with me, like [dealing with] the striker, sometimes he speaks before the game, or at half-time, about positioning as well, so playing with him is really good for me."
In Yoro's view, retaining Maguire is of paramount importance. United are currently in negotiations to keep the English centre-back, albeit on reduced financial terms as part of broader efforts to manage the wage budget.
"Yeah, of course, having Harry in the team is good for us," Yoro affirmed. "If he can stay next season, it's really good for us. So I hope he's going to extend his contract and he can stay with us. We'll see, we'll see anyway."
Additional Coaching Support Bolsters Progress
Beyond Maguire's influence, the mid-season arrivals of former professional defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans to the coaching staff have significantly accelerated Yoro's development.
"I work a lot on videos, a lot of stuff on the pitch about the opponent, so they know the work they're doing [coaching staff], this helped me," Yoro said. "I'm just listening and working. We speak a lot with them, do a lot of extra work, you know?"
He added: "They explain a lot of things to us, and having them as part of the team is just a plus for us. It helps us every day to improve."
Yoro acknowledged his ongoing learning curve, stating: "I know I'm really young, I have a lot of things to improve, so they helped me to find that, to work every day on what I have to improve."
The comprehensive support extends beyond tactical advice. "[Evans and Woodgate] speak a lot with me about, not just about football, but about outside football also, because for a young player it's important to be good outside football, so they know I have a lot to improve and they helped me a lot with this," Yoro revealed.
Addressing the physical demands of the league, he concluded: "I think when the player comes to the Prem, they know physicality will be hard so my body is still growing and I have to deal with that. I've also got H [Harry Maguire], like I said, to help me with that on the pitch, so I have to deal with that, yeah."
