Manchester United’s £52m summer transfer follows Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘trend’

Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has insisted new signing Leny Yoro is a signing Sir Alex Ferguson would have looked to make during his tenure at the club.

The former Lille centre-back joined the club earlier this month and was seen as a coup when he arrived for £52m. Real Madrid had a strong interest in the Frenchman during the window but failed to splash the same cash as United after completing their big move for Kylian Mbappe.

Yoro has impressed for United in pre-season but is set for an indefinite spell on the sidelines after being stopped during the defeat to Arsenal in the early hours of Sunday morning. The severity of the injury is not known, but United will hope he can return sooner rather than later.

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Speaking to talkSPORT before the injury, Meulensteen approved of the signing and believed Ferguson would too. “For Man United, for a long time since Sir Alex Ferguson was there, we didn’t want to sign players over 23,” he said.

“Most of the players who came in were under 23, apart from Robin van Persie. There is definitely a trend with Leny Yoro.”

United’s dumping of Yoro from Real has prompted comparisons with Los Blancos poaching Raphael Varane as a teenage prodigy in France. Ferguson visited Varane’s family to try to convince him to join the Reds but eventually had to admit defeat as the La Liga giants snapped up their man.

Yoro has earned comparisons with Varane as many pundits and critics see similarities in the way the pair defend and how their early careers have played out.