Leny Yoro tells Rio Ferdinand why he was nicknamed after one of his old Man Utd team-mates

Leny Yoro arrived astatine Manchester United successful a £52million woody past summer, but helium was already influenced by the Old Trafford nine acknowledgment to his puerility nickname

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro was nicknamed Nani arsenic a kid - and not conscionable due to the fact that helium had the aforesaid haircut arsenic the erstwhile Old Trafford winger.

Yoro, the French centre-back who outgo United £52million successful the summertime erstwhile helium arrived from Lille, has revealed his ambition arsenic a lad increasing up successful the Parisian suburb of Alfortville was to people goals alternatively than forestall them.

The 19-year-old fancied himself arsenic a flying winger successful the mould of Kylian Mbappe erstwhile helium was learning his commercialized - but his mates called him Nani.

Yoro, appearing connected the Rio Ferdinand Presents Podcast, presented by Qatar Airways, said: “I was playing arsenic a striker erstwhile I was truly young. Like a winger. Yeah, I was quick.

“Maybe not arsenic speedy arsenic Mbappe - but radical were calling maine Nani due to the fact that I had the aforesaid hairsbreadth - and I was fast.”

Nani, the Portuguese planetary who followed successful Cristiano Ronaldo ’s footsteps erstwhile helium moved to United from Sporting Lisbon successful a £20million woody successful 2007, won 4 Premier League titles and the Champions League successful 8 glorious years astatine Old Trafford.

Yoro hasn’t had immoderate excuses to transcript the winger’s trademark somersault extremity solemnisation since being signed by Erik the Hag.

Injuries person made it a conflict for the teen to bring his A-game to the United arsenic the squad inherited by caller brag Ruben Amorim has continued to struggle.

His show successful the 3-1 triumph implicit Southampton was a existent trial of quality - but Yoro reacted by watching footage of the crippled truthful that helium could larn from his mistakes.

Yoro said: “Yeah, that crippled was a small spot difficult. I mislaid a batch of one-v-ones and for the assurance it is not the champion thing.

“You can’t alteration the past. This is the benignant of crippled that helps you turn up from experience. Because you tin bash bully tackles, acquisition penalties, but you request atrocious things to amended your games and get experience. I deliberation this crippled helped maine a lot.

“I person watched the one-v-ones like, maybe, 10 times. Because I conscionable wanted to cognize wherefore I did wrong. I deliberation this crippled helped maine a batch to improve.”

Yoro added: “I felt pressure, man. Like, erstwhile I went anywhere, I thought everybody was talking astir the terms tag and expectations. But my harmless spot was the grooming ground, connected the pitch.

“I travel for United for a large price, truthful yeah, the unit is here. People talk a lot, and today, societal media is truly successful our lives, you know.

“Every day, you spell to societal media, you tin spot your sanction - for bully quality oregon sometimes for atrocious news. But yeah, erstwhile I spell to the grooming crushed with the team-mates, you know, I conscionable hide everything. Just spell connected the transportation and train, instrumentality pleasure.

“I don't hunt my sanction connected Twitter oregon Instagram, truthful I don’t adjacent spot my sanction connected societal media.

“I effort not to see, adjacent if it's good. If I spot thing good, of course, possibly my assurance volition summation a small bit. But if I spot thing bad, it's conscionable similar this—I cannot alteration anything, truthful it doesn’t alteration a batch of my confidence.”

Join our caller WhatsApp community and person your regular dose of Mirror Football content. We besides dainty our assemblage members to peculiar offers, promotions, and adverts from america and our partners. If you don't similar our community, you tin cheque retired immoderate clip you like. If you're curious, you tin work our Privacy Notice.