Going into this season, many fans and pundits labelled it a big year for Leny Yoro, but his performance against Brighton in the Carabao Cup did him no favours. 

Alongside Ayden Heaven, Yoro struggled to deal with Brighton’s attacking threat, which admittedly does not look as bad after their performance against Arsenal, but will still be a concern for Michael Carrick. 

Yoro will be hoping he is a starting centre-back for Manchester United before the end of the season, but he has to battle with Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Ayden Heaven, and Matthijs de Ligt, who has impressed in training. 

After Brighton, it looked like an impossible task, but his performance for France will not only restore his confidence but also that of those who watch the young defender regularly. 

Called up to Zinedine Zidane’s squad late on, Yoro seemed unlikely to make his full France debut in this international break, but the former Real Madrid manager gave him a chance, and he took it. 

Facing Belgium was no easy task, especially after Senne Lammens’ recent performance, but Yoro seriously impressed. The 20-year-old played all 90 minutes, made 72/78 passes, won 4/4 ground duels, 5/5 aerial duels, made one interception, and made six clearances. 

Speaking on his performance, Yoro told Canal+ Foot: “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.”

Zidane also labelled the performance as “Tremendous” when speaking after the match, while Yoro’s former side, LOSC Lille, were delighted to see their academy prospect make his international debut. 

“Proud of you, Leny,” their statement read. “Trained at the club, you celebrate your first selection under the Équipe de France shirt with a 4-1 victory and 90 minutes played. 

“Congratulations” 

While Michael Carrick has already received several important boosts recently – with Carlos Baleba and Amad returning to training and De Ligt starting against Lausanne-Sport – Yoro’s performance will not go unnoticed by the Manchester United head coach. 

Maguire and Martínez are likely to remain the starting centre-backs for now, but both have contracts ending in the summer, while Yoro remains under contract until 2029. 

De Ligt is the obvious candidate to compete for a place alongside Maguire or Martinez, but Yoro’s performance for France proves he should also be in the conversation. 

He needs to be playing more games, and with Manchester United continuing to struggle defensively, perhaps an all-new central defence pairing of De Ligt and Yoro could be the way forward.