According to a report by Football365 on Sunday October 18, 2026, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has insisted that Leny Yoro must start every game for the club, regardless of which injured players return to fitness.

Ferdinand was impressed by the young defender’s performance during United’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Sunday, particularly praising his growing confidence and ability to deal with crosses.

Speaking on Rio Presents, Ferdinand said Yoro deserves a consistent run in Michael Carrick’s starting XI after showing significant improvement in recent matches.

“I don’t care who gets back fit now, I think he needs to stay in the team, prove his worth,” Ferdinand said.

The former United defender also praised Yoro’s work at the back post, describing his defending as “top drawer” and “top class”. He believes the youngster is becoming stronger with every appearance and needs regular playing time to continue his development.

Ferdinand added that Yoro looked solid during the Champions League match against Real Madrid and had also impressed while representing France, returning to Manchester United with renewed confidence.

United’s defensive situation became more complicated against Leeds when Lisandro Martinez was forced off with an injury at half-time. His replacement, Noussair Mazraoui, was involved in the sequence that led to Leeds’ equaliser from a corner.

Despite dropping points, Carrick described the match as a “fresh start” but warned that his team must continue working hard rather than assume everything is going well.