Leny Yoro has revealed that ex-Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand played a big role in convincing him to make the move to Old Trafford during this summer's transfer window.
The 18-year-old officially joined the 20-time English champions last Thursday, and he then trained with his new teammates on Friday before making his debut on Saturday afternoon against Rangers.
The Frenchman played the opening 45 minutes of what proved to be a 2-0 success for Erik ten Hag's side, and he is now set to travel to the United States for the club's pre-season tour.
Yoro has opened up on conversations that he had with Ferdinand, who represented Man United between 2002 and 2014, making 455 appearances for the club in all competitions.
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Yoro explains Ferdinand influence on Man United transfer
"It was like two weeks ago [when I first spoke to Rio]," Yoro told MUTV. "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.
"When I was younger, Rio was one of the best defenders in the world. I think everyone watched United when he was young and, for me, it was a dream to play for this club."
Yoro also opened up on his excitement at making the move to Man United, with the English giants holding off competition from Real Madrid to secure his signature on an initial five-year deal.
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Yoro "really happy" to have made Man United move
"For me, this is the biggest championship in the world. For me, the Premier League... this is where the football fully exists. So the fans, the level – because the level is crazy there, there is not an easy game - and, for me, the Premier League is the biggest in the world," he added.
"This is a historic stage and I'm just really excited to play at Old Trafford, to be honest. So, yeah, this is incredible. I already imagined me on the pitch. I was with my family there, and they were impressed too. So, yeah, we took a lot of photos!
"You know, it's one of the biggest stadiums in the world. To be honest, I'm really happy to be here. I'm really happy to play for this team and I'm really excited to see you in Old Trafford."
Yoro could make his second appearance for Man United when Ten Hag's side take on Arsenal in their opening match of their pre-season tour on Saturday night.
Matt Law
