---
title: "Leny Yoro doesn’t have a deadline to prove himself"
canonical: "https://readmanutd.com/2026/09/20/michael-carrick-leny-yoro-man-utd-brighton/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Shumail Sajid"
section: "Man Utd News"
published: "2026-09-20T12:56:28Z"
modified: "2026-09-20T12:56:35Z"
---

# Leny Yoro doesn’t have a deadline to prove himself

**Michael Carrick has backed Leny Yoro to have a big future at Manchester United and dismissed the idea that the young defender needs to prove himself by a certain deadline.**

Yoro and [Ayden Heaven](https://readmanutd.com/squad/ayden-heaven/) came in for criticism after [United’s 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton](https://readmanutd.com/2026/09/16/manchester-united-vs-brighton-carabao-cup-report/), but Carrick was unwilling to single either player out after a difficult night.

The [Manchester United](https://readmanutd.com/tag/manchester-united/) boss actually felt the pair started the game well and believes setbacks like this are part of their development.

“I thought they started really well actually in the game. I thought we started really well, so it’s not about them,”[Carrick said ahead of the Fulham game](https://www.manutd.com/en/news/carrick-says-yoro-has-got-a-big-future-at-man-utd-sept-2026).

## **Carrick insists there is no deadline for Leny Yoro**

Yoro’s age was central to Carrick’s response. The Frenchman is now 20 and is entering his third season at United, but the manager doesn’t believe that means expectations should suddenly become a cut-off point.

“No, he’s 20, Leny, you know? And again, in context, he’s got a fantastic future ahead of him and a lot of potential, and he’s learning, he’s developing.”

[Michael Carrick](https://readmanutd.com/tag/michael-carrick/) also pointed out how demanding the centre-back position is, particularly for such a young player at a club like United.

“There’s definitely no cut-off point. He’s just got to keep progressing and moving in the right direction, wanting to learn, keep improving, getting more opportunities.”

The manager was also keen to avoid making a snap judgment based on one poor performance.

“I certainly won’t \[be\] making knee-jerk decisions on certain players just because of one game or one half or one moment in a game.”

Carrick remains confident in Yoro and believes the defender has plenty of time to develop into the player United expect him to become.