GettyThe arrival of the 18-year-old, who is described as ‘very mature’, signifies a refreshing change from the Red Devils’ past transfer activities and could potentially lead to significant achievements in the future.
Manchester United fans might have been wary when they learned that Rio Ferdinand helped convince Leny Yoro sign for the club. Ferdinand was one of several United figures who had urged Cristiano Ronaldo to make his ill-fated return to Old Trafford, reportedly calling the striker at 3am to warn him against moving to Manchester City and twisting his arm in favour of signing for United.
Ronaldo might have scored 27 goals for United and given supporters a few sugar hits, but his second coming proved to be a huge mistake for the player and the club. After Ronaldo's tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, even Ferdinand admitted: "That love affair with Manchester United is finished. The book has been closed, he’s snookered the club and put them into a position where there’s no way back."
At the time, the signing of Ronaldo symbolized the negative aspects of United’s transfer strategy, as they hoped to revive their past success with outdated methods. The club invested £12 million ($15m) for his acquisition and an additional £52m ($68m) in wages, all for the sake of nostalgia. However, they ended up with a player who was far past his prime, with only one decent season individually, but ultimately hindering the team’s progress. This setback disrupted the project that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been constructing and brought humiliation to the club when Ronaldo departed after a mere 14 months.
There are high hopes, however, for Ferdinand's next project. Yoro, like Ferdinand was when he signed for United from Leeds in 2002, has the potential to be a transformational signing, one who could lead their defence for the next decade and take them back to the very top.
