Man United can rectify Sir Alex Ferguson's Raphael Varane regret with Leny Yoro transfer

Sir Alex Ferguson rushed down to Lille on a train from Euston to meet with an 18-year-old centre-back who had the world at his feet.

Manchester United chief David Gill was aware there was no time to wait to get the contract resolved for Raphael Varane with other clubs looking to swoop in on the talented defender. Sadly, United's worst fears were realised shortly after Ferguson's visit to the Varane family home as Zinedine Zidane, in his role as sporting director at the Bernabeu, swooped in and gave Jose Mourinho the gift of France's next big thing.

Ferguson would later admit in his 2015 book 'Leading' that he did not believe Mourinho had ever seen Varane play before he joined Los Blancos. Fast forward to 2024 and once again United are chasing a talented young French centre-back - time truly is a flat circle.

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Eerily the similarities between the Varane and Leny Yoro pursuits do not end at the clubs involved in the transfer or even their nationality. In fact, Yoro is seen by many in France as the next Varane.

In an interview with The Athletic, French football expert Jonathan Johnson explained: "Yoro is top of the list among defensive prospects in France. I think what probably interests the French public the most is the parallel between him and Raphael Varane.

"They come from different sides of the Lille-Lens divide, but Varane also showed very early that he was ready to make a big step up. Lille have really mastered the art of being a selling club, so there’s the expectation that he will be the next major departure for a huge fee.

"There is a real maturity about him, on and off the pitch, and he’s really imposing when you