Manchester United have already been told new signing 'shouldn't play for three years'

Manchester United's new signing Leny Yoro may need three years before he's ready for the Premier League, according to French football legend Emmanuel Petit.

The 18-year-old defender completed a £52million move from Lille to Old Trafford on Thursday, but Petit warned he might require a similar adjustment period as William Saliba at Arsenal. Yoro, who signed a five-year contract with an option for an additional year, looks to have been signed as Raphael Varane's replacement.

However, there are doubts about whether he can immediately bolster Erik ten Hag's side for the upcoming season. Despite attracting interest from top European clubs due to his performances in Ligue 1, the towering 6'3" centre-back is still developing and will be a work in progress.

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It's for that reason Petit advised his former clubs Arsenal and Chelsea against signing him this summer. Speaking to DAZN in April, Petit said: "I know Leny Yoro well, I watch him in France, and he's been nicknamed the next Raphael Varane.

"He was 16 when he started with the Lille first team... and all of a sudden his life changed. The manager said he needed someone to repeat his age as he always was shocked at [how] young he is. In the space of two years, he's been an absolute rock in defence.

"Let Yoro improve step by step, right now it's too early. Saliba was [the] perfect example, he was at Arsenal early on but spent three years on loan before cementing his name in Arsenal's XI. The season Saliba did with Marseille changed everything and now he's one of the best defenders in the world."

Peti