Manchester United had one player in action during the latest round of Nations League fixtures on Monday night.
France vs Belgium
France faced Belgium in a match-up between two of Europe’s stronger performers.
Senne Lammens and Youri Tielemans have been regulars for their national side during this international break, but both were given the night off.
Nonetheless, it was a memorable night for Leny Yoro, who made his senior debut for the French side.
Yoro impressed for Les Bleus as he made a total of 11 defensive contributions.
He made three out of four tackles and recorded an interception.
The young defender also made six clearances and four recoveries.
Yoro was imperious in his duels, winning all four of his ground battles.
The 20-year-old was also unbeatable in the air, as he won all five of his aerial duels against the Belgium frontline, which included former United player Romelu Lukaku.
Yoro also impressed on the ball as his side won 4-1. He completed 93% of his passes in the match and made one key pass in the game.
The defender also completed 70% of his long ball attempts and was heavily involved in possession, having 96 touches of the ball for the 2018 World Champions.
Significance
Speaking to Canal Plus after the match, Yoro was ecstatic with his performance.
He claimed, “I don’t think I could have asked for anything better. A home match against Belgium, with my family there. It was a really great game, too. Of course, we would have hoped for a clean sheet, but we got the win, so we’re not going to complain. It was amazing.”
Yoro will hope this performance has caught Michael Carrick’s attention, and the Frenchman may now receive more opportunities in the first eleven than he has had so far this season.
Leny Yoro stats vs Belgium
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.03 |
| Def. contributions | 11 |
| Tackles (won) | 4 (3) |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Clearances | 6 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
| Ground duels (won) | 4 (4) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 5 (5) |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 74/80 (93%) |
| Passes in opposition half (acc.) | 51/56 (91%) |
| Passes in own half (acc.) | 23/24 (96%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 7/10 (70%) |
| Touches | 96 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Possession lost | 6 |
| Total carrying distance | 234.2 m |
| Carries | 32 |
| Total progression | 142.1 m |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
Featured image by Alex Livesey via Getty Images
