Leny Yoro has reportedly set Manchester United's Premier League match against Arsenal later this year as the target to make his return from injury.
Man United identified the 18-year-old as as one of their top transfer targets this summer and fended off interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool to secure his services.
The Frenchman's impressive performances for Lille last season earned him significant interest during the summer window and led to United forking out a reported £52m to bring him to Old Trafford.
Unfortunately for the teenager, he suffered a major setback in just his second match for the Red Devils during pre-season, picking up an injury against the Gunners in the United States.
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Yoro eyes Gunners clash for potential return
It was revealed that Yoro had fractured a metatarsal on his left foot in the pre-season friendly, which ended up putting him on crutches and requiring surgery to repair.
Following surgery and after stepping up his rehabilitation, the 18-year old began walking without assistance again earlier this month and is now eyeing up his return to action.
According to GiveMeSport, Yoro has earmarked the Red Devils' Premier League encounter against Arsenal on December 3 as his target, and has expressed his desperation to be involved in the match to friends and teammates.
However, the report adds that while Yoro has set himself a target to return, Erik ten Hag is cautious about rushing him back into action and sees the time on the sidelines as an opportunity for him to acclimate to his new environment.
Yoro made 32 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lille last season and helped the side maintain 15 clean sheets, while also notching up two goals.
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Man United deny claims of pre-existing injury to Yoro
Shortly after sustaining the injury, reports surfaced suggesting that Yoro was carrying an injury before he made his big-money move to Manchester.
However, the Red Devils denied those claims, indicating that nothing showed up during the teenager's medical tests to suggest that he should not have feaured in pre-season.
The centre-back is now ranked as the second most expensive player to transfer from Ligue 1 to the Premier League behind Nicolas Pepe, who was signed by Arsenal for a fee of around £70m at the start of the 2019-20 season.
Yoro is believed to be viewed by United as their long-term centre-back option alongside Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt.
Devesh Jaganath
