Manchester United fan Mark Goldbridge has raised his concerns Leny Yoro may face when he returns from injury. The young defender joined the Red Devils during the summer transfer window from Lille, and after appearing in the club’s first few pre-season games, he suffered an injury against Arsenal in the USA that has seen him on the sidelines since.
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ByJoe NuttallOct 9, 2024 Mark Goldbridge responds to Van Basten's comments
It has been a poor start to the campaign for United as a whole, but also for some of their key players. This will be an aspect that Erik ten Hag looks to address and improve should he remain in charge of the Red Devils. But the Dutchman is at fault for some of these performances and for deciding which players to sign, according to an ex-Netherlands international.
Marco Van Basten has questioned one of United’s summer signings already, as he wonders what Ten Hag has seen in bringing Manuel Ugarte to Old Trafford. Speaking to Dutch media, Van Basten said on Ugarte: “It’s crazy how much Erik ten Hag has decided to invest in players who aren’t even good. I saw a new player transferred to Manchester, Manuel Ugarte, for €50m. How can this guy be here? It’s bizarre.”
Now, Goldbridge has hit back, saying that signing Ugarte has nothing to do with Ten Hag, telling The United Stand: “Judging players after two or three games is incredibly thick.”
He continued: “Ugarte may be a flop, but he is not one yet, and please remember that it is actually Man United’s recruitment specialists, best in class, super-duper board that went for Ugarte. The reason they went after Ugarte is that everybody from Jason Wilcock’s to Dan Ashworth to Omar Berrada to Christopher Vivell to Ten Hag all agreed that Ugarte was the guy to sign.”
Goldbridge didn’t stop on Ugarte, as he also had something to say about Leny Yoro.
Goldbridge worried about Leny Yoro ahead of Man Utd return
Leny Yoro is stepping up his recovery from his foot surgery, which has so far seen him miss seven Premier League games. Ahead of his return, which is expected to come towards the end of November, Goldbridge has raised concerns that he hopes Yoro doesn’t face in the early days of his Manchester United career.
Goldbridge said on Yoro: “Every new signing that comes to Man United has got to play like prime Diego Maradona, or they are a flop.
“We have got to be very careful about what we do with our new signings because they are here for a long time, whether it is Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Ugarte, or Yoro, who has not played yet. I mean, how is Yoro going to get treated? This is what worries me; he is 18. If he doesn’t come in and start playing like prime Virgil van Dijk, he is going to be called a flop.”
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Yoro was ruled out for three months, meaning his return to football is likely not going to come until after the next international break, when he will hopefully provide a very welcome boost.