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Manchester United reportedly discovered a metatarsal issue during Leny Yoro's medical but still pressed ahead with the £52million deal. Yoro, one of Europe's most highly-regarded young defenders, arrived at Old Trafford on July 18 from Ligue 1 outfit Lille. United had to fend off Real Madrid for the 18-year-old's signature, as Yoro penned a five-year deal that made him the fifth-most expensive teenager in history. However, Red Devils fans will have to wait a little longer than anticipated to see Yoro in action on English shores after he sustained an injury in just his second game for the club. It was an injury that could have been easily prevented. According to The Athletic, Yoro's medical flagged a potential issue with his metatarsal but United decided to press ahead with the signing anyway. Unfortunately for Yoro, he fractured the fifth metatarsal on his left foot in a friendly against Arsenal on United's US tour. The teenager, who stayed with his new teammates for the rest of the tour, has since undergone surgery and is expected to miss three months of action. However, the report claims United never planned to start Yoro every week in the Premier League to begin with and were always likely to sign another centre-back. United have done just that with the £43m capture of Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich as Erik ten Hag re-united with yet another one of his former Ajax players. Yoro also adds to what is quickly becoming a congested centre-back unit at Old Trafford, with De Ligt, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof all on the club's books. But that defensive group will likely be trimmed at the end of the season as Evans, Maguire and Lindelof will be out of contract by July 2025. Yoro is a prime example of United's new direction in transfers under its revamped technical department. The club has had a tendency to target older players on high wages with little chance of resale value, such as Raphael Varane and Casemiro. However, the signing of Yoro is clear evidence the club is changing its ways in the transfer market under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who oversees the club's football operations. Since officially taking over, Ratcliffe has appointed former Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth and ex-City Football Group chief football operations officer Omar Berrada to high-level roles within United. The INEOS chief executive also appointed Jason Wilcox as the Red Devils' technical director. But the proof of United's new approach will be in the pudding as they kick off their Premier League season against Fulham at Old Trafford. This service is provided on talk SPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy.