Gary Neville urges Michael Carrick to stop playing United ace out of position | OneFootball

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Manchester United legend Gary Neville has explained why Michael Carrick must stop using Leny Yoro at right-back. The French defender earned his first start of the season against Sabah in the Champions League in midweek.

Yoro started at centre-back alongside Lisandro Martinez and helped secure a clean sheet as the Red Devils picked up a 4-0 win. The youngster began the season as an unused substitute against Hull City in the disappointing 2-0 defeat.

He was also in the bench in the following two games; replacing Diogo Dalot at right-back in both the 5-2 win over Ipswich Town and the 2-2 draw against Everton. United were leading 2-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium when Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored in the sixth minute of second-half injury time to salvage a point for the Toffees.

Neville was disappointed with United’s defending in the final minutes of that game, which saw them drop valuable points. The former Red Devils right-back has now opened up on Carrick’s use of Yoro this season.

Carrick urged to change Yoro approach

In a recent conversation on The Overlap, Neville was asked to offer his views on Carrick’s decision to deploy Yoro at right-back. He said: “I don’t think he (Yoro) understands right-back, which is fine, a lot of centre-backs don’t.”

“But we’ve got to stop bringing him on there and thinking he’s a right-back. My feeling is Michael [Carrick] maybe sees him as a more defensive right-back option, similar to what Liverpool did last night [with Ronald Araujo] given their issues at right-back.”

Carrick also used Yoro at right-back on a few occasions in pre-season, where he tested the centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven. However, the duo were caught out against Hull City prompting the English manager to partner Maguire with Martinez in the last two Premier League games.

One expects the tried-and-tested pairing to keep their place in the starting XI for Sunday’s Manchester derby as well.

Yoro’s United stint so far

United fought off stiff competition from Real Madrid to secure Yoro’s signature in the summer of 2024. The Frenchman was one of the most talented young defenders in the world at that time and it was believed that the Red Devils had found the future replacement for Maguire.

However, Yoro has struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI since then. While he was heavily involved in former head coach Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, the 20 year old has struggled for prominence under Carrick.

Last season, Yoro registered 33 appearances across all competitions. This season, he has clocked just 22 minutes of first-team action in the Premier League.

Leny Yoro Stats: 2026/27 Season

Yoro’s recovery pace and defensive acumen make him an asset for United. All he needs now is a regular run of games in his preferred position to gather valuable experience.

Final Thoughts

Neville is right to advocate for Yoro’s use in the centre-back position instead of an auxiliary right-back. Maguire is already on the wrong side of 30 and it is now time to allow the Frenchman to take over at the back.