The reasons why Man Utd kept Leny Yoro injury 'secret' revealed
- Leny Yoro out for three months with metatarsal injury
- Man Utd initially tried to keep problem under wraps
- Two key reasons behind Red Devils' secrecy and why it fell apart
By Sean Walsh
Manchester United tried to cover up the severity of the injury sustained by Leny Yoro in part not to weaken their negotiating stance with Bayern Munich over Matthijs de Ligt, according to a report.
Yoro picked up a foot problem only two games into his first pre-season with United after joining on an initial £52.2m deal from Lille.
The 18-year-old only missed a single game through injury with Lille last year, but is expected to spend three months on the sidelines with a fractured metatarsal and will not make his competitive Red Devils debut until the autumn.
According to The Athletic, United at first planned not to communicate the full extent of Yoro's injury for two key reasons.
Firstly, they were worried announcing a prolonged absence so shortly after the excitement of his arrival would 'puncture the optimism significantly'. Yoro was widely expected to sign for Real Madrid this summer as one of their top defensive transfer targets, and it was a surprise to the footballing world when United struck a deal instead.
Secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, United remain in the market for a centre-back, and though they had always planned to sign two this summer, they did not want a major injury to Yoro to strengthen the negotiating position of other clubs. For example, Bayern Munich have not budged on their valuation of Matthijs de Ligt and now know United are under more pressure to acquire a another central defender.
But United were unable to hide the severity of Yoro's injury after a video of him on crutches and in a protective boot went viral, at which point they decided to confirm the timetable for his recovery.
United saw a joint-bid for De Ligt and right-back Noussair Mazraoui rejected by Bayern last week, though the clubs are believed to still be in talks over the duo.
Erik ten Hag's side have finished their pre-season tour of the USA and will return to action on Saturday against Manchester City in the Community Shield. Their Premier League campaign kicks off six days later at home to Fulham.
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