Man United need ‘very mature’ star to silence Lyon's key man Rayan Cherki

Manchester United face Lyon in the Europa League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford this evening.

Young centre-back Leny Yoro is one of the players manager Ruben Amorim will rely on to secure victory against the French outfit.

The French defender has not had a bright start to life at United since arriving from Lille last summer.

He was criticised by pundit Thierry Henry after the 4-1 loss to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday. Henry blamed him for the Magpies’ third goal in the clash.

Described as ‘very mature’ by former manager Erik Ten Hag, United need Yoro to be at his best against Lyon tonight.

He is poised to start at left centre-back. Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazroui will likely join him in Amorim’s three-man central defensive pairing.

The 19-year-old scored his first goal for the club in the reverse fixture, preventing United from heading into halftime with a goal deficit after Thiago Almada had given Lyon the lead.

He was impeccable in the fixture, and United need him to replicate that performance this evening.

Amorim would need him to help left wing-back Patrick Dorgu keep Lyon’s best player, Rayan Cherki, quiet in the fixture.

Cherki has the most goal involvements in the Europa League this term and is likely to operate from the left side of the United’s defence. Yoro would be needed to keep his international teammate quiet.

The duo rarely met in the reverse fixture, but with the Red Devils possibly more attacking today, they could face each other, particularly when Dorgu bumps forward.

Yoro’s ability to defend large spaces will be tested when he faces Cherki, who averages 2.8 successful dribbles per game, the third-best average in the competition.

Having shown his aerial prowess last week, United could also make do with a repeat of that today to advance to the last four at the expense of Lyon.

Stats from sofascore.com

Article written by Henry Thornton .