Leny Yoro could make his belated Manchester United debut at Arsenal on Wednesday with head coach Ruben Amorim saying he is excited to unleash a “special talent”.
The £52m signing had surgery on his foot after breaking a metatarsal during pre-season and never made a first-team appearance for Erik ten Hag, the manager who signed him.
But the 19-year-old has been back in training for the last three weeks and Amorim believes the centre-back might now be now ready to be involved, albeit while trying to be cautious with him.
“I feel he is in a good moment now, his fitness is better, so I think he is going to be in the squad,” he said. “I think he’s a special talent. You have to be careful in this first moment, because we didn’t have too many training [sessions] together. He is training not alone, but with a small group of players.”
Amorim believes Yoro has the ability to operate in a high defensive line, which he wants, and thinks the Frenchman has the ability in possession to suit his style of play.
“He is really fast, a modern defender and that is good when you want to press high and you leave a lot of strikers one against one,” he added. “I think he can manage that. I think he is very good with the ball. I am really excited. I have to be careful, we have to manage the loads, the minutes in the beginning but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro playing.”
United will be without the suspended Lisandro Martinez at the Emirates Stadium, which could allow Yoro to start, though Amorim is likelier to give Luke Shaw a first start since February.
Amorim has asked supporters not to sing the song they have devised for him as he asked them to concentrate on the players instead.
He added: “I don’t like my chant. I don’t like it. I feel a little bit, not embarrassed, but because I’m the coach, they have to chant for the players and for the club. So it’s not a good thing for me.
“I understand and really appreciate the connection with the supporters but I want them to support the team and the players because they are on the pitch and I’m outside the pitch. But I am really honoured by that, I feel a connection with the supporters but we know we need results to maintain that.”
Amorim held a meeting at Old Trafford on Monday as he tries to build more of a spirit at the club.
He explained: “We have a meeting with all the staff, trying to connect everyone with this facility, the people who are here, trying to build a connection to be closer [between the employees at] Carrington and the stadium.”