It's been a miserable time on and off the field, but former Manchester United star Mikael Silvestre believes there is light at the end of the tunnel - Leny Yoro.
The £52million signing from Lille had a difficult start with injuries but the 19-year-old is now very much in boss Ruben Amorim’s plans. Silvestre has watched Yoro from an early age in France and believes the United manager should build a new-look defence around the teenager.
Silvestre, at the Soccerex in Cairo, said: “From his time in Lille, we’ve seen that he’s athletically dominant, he makes the right calls when recovering the ball and has good timing. It’s unfortunate that he got injured early in pre-season because I think he will be a major force at United in the coming years.
“He still has some things that he can learn, of course, he is not the finished article, but he’s got so much potential. When you look at [William] Saliba and [Ibrahima] Konate for France, for me he is next in line.”
Despite United's current struggles, Silvestre believes that Old Trafford chiefs should back Amorim and bring in players who fit into his 3-4-3 formation, like new signing Patrick Dorgu. Silvestre added: “Amorim is forcing players to adapt quickly at the moment and it’s not working. You can’t just flick a switch from one day to the other for players.
“They have to suit what the manager wants. You see with Dorgu, this is a player who is meant to play in his formation, but I’m not sure [Noussair] Mazraoui or [Diogo] Dalot can do it properly. I think he is a good manager. It is just wrong timing. Coming in the middle of the season is always difficult and also the players’ self-belief is not there.”
Silvestre won 10 trophies in nine years at United under Sir Alex Ferguson and admits it is sad to see how far the club has fallen since the Scot’s retirement in 2013. “What you see on the pitch is a result of many years of mismanagement off it,” said Slvestre, who also played in the Premier League for Arsenal. “Problems unsolved, and people appointed who didn’t make the right calls.
“As ex-players, we understand that you can go through rough patches, but what is more difficult is knowing how long it will take to get back to the top. At so many levels, the gap with Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal - it’s huge. It’s also really concerning to see that Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho could be sold for the PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). If you have to lose those players, where do you go next?”
The FA Cup and the Europa League have at least offered United a glimmer of hope in a dark season that sees them 14th of 20 in the Premier League. Silvestre, who won the FA Cup with United in 2004, feels that today’s Fulham tie gives Amorim and his players another chance to try to build some momentum.
The former France star, now 47, said: “We’ve got to take what’s on the table and those are still two big competitions. If joy and belief comes out of the FA Cup and the Europa League - then it is valuable. It’s also another opportunity to try to progress and get small wins in terms of improvement.”
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