Leny Yoro Chooses Between Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

Leny Yoro has been tasked with selecting the best players from a list of legendary centre-backs, including former Manchester United duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. It has been a long time since Manchester United have been able to boast about having the best team in Europe. That takes us back to United’s most recent Champions League triumph, in 2008, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow. The team assembled by Ferguson had everything. A world-class goalkeeper with experience, the best defence in Europe, a strong midfield with multiple options and an attack inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Is Rio Ferdinand Man Utd’s best defender of all time? 🐐🤔 If it is NOT Rio Ferdinand, then who is it? 🛡️🥷 In 2026, United feel like a million miles away from that level, especially after failing to qualify for European competition last term. Michael Carrick will remember 2008 better than most as a key player in Ferguson’s midfield, but he now stands in the dugout as United head coach. In an ideal world, United are working towards building a team that can replicate what Ferguson’s side did in 2008 by winning the double. More United News Leny Yoro opts for Rio Ferdinand over Nemanja Vidic Yoro signed for United in the summer of 2024 after emerging as one of the most promising young centre-backs in Europe during his time at Lille. The 20-year-old has shown glimpses of his brilliance in a United shirt, although the 2025/26 season has been difficult for the Frenchman. It didn’t help that the previous head coach, Ruben Amorim, couldn’t settle on his best defence and wanted to play in a back-three system. Even though Yoro has struggled with confidence this season, it bodes well that he has time on his side, and he has shown enough for United fans to believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Old Trafford. Yoro knows United have had multiple world-class defenders at centre-back. Still, the best combination in the past 20 years saw Rio Ferdinand partnered by Nemanja Vidic at the heart of defence. The United starlet took part in a TikTok challenge with Goal Fan Zone, where he was asked to pick from a list of legendary centre-backs. When it came to picking between Ferdinand and Vidic, Yoro picked the former England international because he models his game on him. “My style is more like Ferdinand, so I will pick Ferdinand.” Rio Ferdinand has always urged patience with Leny Yoro “He’s a student of the game, he sees his mistakes, he acknowledges his mistakes and he tries to learn from those mistakes.” Rio Ferdinand Meanwhile, for the final selection, Yoro picked Sergio Ramos over Ferdinand. Yoro will hope that he joins the list of legendary centre-backs when his career comes to an end, but he has many years ahead of him playing at the top level. Leny Yoro must prove himself under Michael Carrick As things stand, Yoro is no longer a starter at United. The young French defender has struggled for confidence this term, but Carrick will be keen to utilise him for the remainder of the season. Ayden Heaven’s performances over the festive period were a silver lining when results were poor, but Carrick went with experience in the Manchester derby when he partnered Lisandro Martinez with Harry Maguire at centre-back. Yoro will be working hard to get back into the team.