Rio Ferdinand, the great defender, played a key role in helping Manchester United convince highly-rated Leny Yoro to join the team.
This summer, Yoro was desired by several of Europe’s best clubs, including Real Madrid.
He ultimately decided to join United, agreeing to a £52 million transfer from French club Lille in exchange for a five-year deal.
Speaking to internal club media, Yoro, 18, said that Ferdinand had already taken a more direct approach.
Ferdinand had welcomed Yoro to Old Trafford with a social media post. Yoro remarked, “He called me two weeks ago.”
“We spoke for 10 minutes about Man United, so he helped me a lot to make my choice.”
“He mainly spoke about the club and what it’s like. That this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world.
“It was really good to speak about this.”
Yoro impressed on his debut in the pre-season victory over Rangers at Murrayfield.
And, judging by his assessment of his own abilities, there are similarities between Yoro’s style and that of Ferdinand, who joined United for £29.1m from Leeds 22 years ago.
“The football of today, you need to read the game,” he said.
“You need to understand the opponent and I try really to be focused on that. After that, I’m really comfortable with the ball. You know, I’m not afraid to play.”