Manchester United has been dealt a significant blow ahead of the Europa League final as defender Leny Yoro sustained an injury.
The French centre-back was visibly distressed during the 2-0 loss to West Ham today, covering his face with his shirt and appearing to fight back tears as he headed straight down the tunnel.
Yoro seemed to be clutching his foot, which is particularly concerning as he previously broke the same foot and required surgery earlier this season.
After receiving treatment on the pitch, he was immediately replaced by Harry Maguire.
The sight of a physio delivering the news that Yoro could not continue led to manager Ruben Amorim burying his head in his hands, indicating the seriousness of the situation.
Teammates Harry Maguire, Alejandro Garnacho, and Patrick Dorgu were seen consoling the 19-year-old as he left the field.
This injury comes just over a week before Manchester United`s crucial Europa League final match.
Fans reacted with despair to the news, expressing sentiments online like “God no please, this is not happening” and “End the season now.” Many highlighted the worry that the injury was to his previously problematic foot, calling it “pretty much the worst case scenario.”
Commenting on Yoro`s injury, manager Amorim said:
“We hope it`s nothing serious. We will assess the player but I think it is a small thing.”
Amorim also used the post-match discussion to address the team`s performance and mindset:
“We need to change things. Only us can change things. We are missing that feeling of urgency and it`s something which is hard to explain.”
“Everybody is focused on the final. The final is not the biggest thing in our football club. We need to change a lot of things.”
“If we don't change the way we play and perform and feel this urgency of winning every game, we should not play in the Champions League. We should just stay in the Premier League and learn how to be competitive one week at a time.”
“The biggest focus on our football club is to change a lot of things. It`s not just the final.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United`s final opponents, Tottenham, also faced an injury scare, with star player Dejan Kulusevski being forced off during their own 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
