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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Leny Yoro reveals Rio Ferdinand talks before sealing £58m Manchester United move

Leny Yoro says Rio Ferdinand played a key role in his move to Manchester United.

The highly-rated defender was linked with an array of top European clubs after impressing for Lille before ultimately signing a five-year deal at Old Trafford.

United are believed to have paid an initial £52m for the teenager but the total cost of the transfer may rise to £58m.

Yoro made his debut as Erik ten Hag’s side beat Rangers 2-0 in Edinburgh on Saturday and put in a composed performance in his first 45 minutes as a United player.

Real Madrid and Liverpool were both linked with a move prior to him joining United, while Chelsea are believed to have previously held an interest in the Frenchman.

Speaking in his first full length interview since the move, Yoro revealed how a phone call from United legend Ferdinand helped seal the deal.

Up and running: Leny Yoro made his Manchester United debut against Rangers (Action Images via Reuters)

“It was like two weeks ago [when I first spoke to Rio]," he told the club’s official website.

"He called me.

"First of all, I was really impressed to speak with him and, yeah, we spoke like 10 minutes about Man United, so he helped me a lot to make my choice. It was really an honour to speak with him.

"He spoke to me about the club, and that this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world. For me, it was really good to speak about this."

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