Lille 2022–23: Debut as a professional player Yoro debuted with
Lille reserve team in 2022, and quickly signed his first professional contract with the club on 10 January 2022. He made his professional debut with Lille in a 3–1
Ligue 1 win over
Nice on 14 May 2022 in the penultimate match of the season. At 16 years six months and one day of age, Yoro is the second youngest Lille player, behind
Joël Depraeter-Henry and taking the second place from
Eden Hazard. In early August, he extended his contract with his club until June 2025.
Next season, he became a permanent member of the professional squad named to play in the
2022–23 Ligue 1. On 17 September, he played his first professional match as a starter in a 2–1 home win against
Toulouse. Fourth centre-back behind veteran and captain
José Fonte,
Tiago Djaló and
Alexsandro, he ended the season with 13 Ligue 1 appearances, including 8 starts, and a total of more than 750 minutes played.
2023–24: Breakthrough and first European matches in 2023 For his second whole season as professional, Yoro became a full-time starter as a right centre-back and played 32 matches out of
34 Ligue 1 fixtures. He was the second most used French championship player with a total of 3690 minutes in all competitions at only 18 years old. A month later, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal for Lille with a cross-shot
volley in a 2–2 away draw against
Rennes. He scored his first goal before his supporters at
Stade Pierre-Mauroy with a header on 12 November 2023 in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse FC. In April 2024, he started and played every minute in the
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals two legs against
Aston Villa in which Lille nearly made it to the semi-finals but lost on penalties. According to studies published in October 2023, Leny Yoro is the second defender to win the most duels among all the players playing in Europe this season, across all age groups with 89% of defensive duels won. Yoro was also the best player under 23 in defensive ground duels won. Alongside
Virgil van Dijk, he was the only defender across all European leagues to be both a top 10% player in defensive duel success rate and top 10% in aerial duel success rate. As of March 2024, Yoro was also one of the Ligue 1 best passing players with a total of 1537 passes made – the seventh in the league across all positions – and a completion rate of 92.3%. At the end of the season, Yoro was nominated for the 2023–24
Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and named in the
Team of the Year. Widely regarded by pundits as one of the best young prospects and a future world class defender, he stated after the UNFP awards ceremony: "It’s a bit of a childhood dream that has come true. It ends a awesome season that we had with the supporters, the staff and the team which has been incredible. [...] It's an honour to have so much attention. When you're a footballer, you have to expect it a little. We know that our performances are examined. Afterwards, I play my football. If there are people watching, it's honestly positive for me and it doesn't impact me on the pitch in any way. I play like I've always played, no matter who is watching me or will watch me."
Manchester United 2024–25: Going abroad and new chapter in England On 18 July 2024, Yoro officially signed for
Premier League club
Manchester United on a five-year contract, with the option of an additional year. According to various columnists and reporters, the financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €62m (£52.2m) and a maximum of €8 million (£6.7 million) add-ons depending on sporting conditions. This move made him the most expensive player aged 18 or younger and one of the most expensive centre-backs in history. His contract includes an annual salary around £5.9m gross plus £1.7m in possible bonus payments per season. Before eventually choosing to join United, Yoro was also targeted by
Real Madrid,
Paris Saint-Germain and English rivals
Liverpool. Two weeks after his signing, he broke his foot during a pre-season friendly match against
Arsenal. On 4 December, he made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to the same opposition at the
Emirates Stadium in the
2024–25 Premier League, coming off the bench in the 59th minute. On 10 April 2025, Yoro scored his first goal for the Red Devils in a 2–2 away draw at
Lyon, in the
2024–25 UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg. He levelled things up at 1–1 with a header in the first-half stoppage time on a
Manuel Ugarte's assist. The Red Devils eventually lost the
final to
Tottenham Hotspur where he became United's second-youngest starter in a European final after
Brian Kidd who played in the
1968 European Cup final. After gradually establishing himself as a starter in
Ruben Amorim's defence, he is seen as one of the few bright spots in the club bad phase, having played more than 2,000 minutes for his new club and starting twenty-two matches in all competitions after his injury recovery. ==International career==