Leny Yoro has demonstrated he has “all the tools to become an amazing defender,” says Manchester United team-mate and fellow centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

Both players joined United in the summer, from LOSC Lille and Bayern Munich respectively, but had to wait until November to play together due to Yoro’s unfortunate pre-season injury.

When Yoro made his competitive debut in our Premier League defeat at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, De Ligt was alongside him. They’ve since been partnered on several further occasions, and the more experienced Dutchman has been convinced by what he’s seen so far.

“I think he’s a really great talent,” De Ligt told United Review, our historic and popular matchday programme, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

“He has a lot of the tools to become a really good modern defender. He’s fast, good with the ball, quick, tall, good in headers.

“He’s now back from injury and I think it’s really important for the team to get lots of options because the schedule is hectic, so we have to use everybody. It’s really nice that he’s here and hopefully I can help him with some experience that I had at his age, because I also had this experience at this age. I really want to help him become as good as possible, because I think he has a lot of potential.”

Asked what kind of advice he has been giving to Yoro, who only turned 19 last month, De Ligt said it would be more focused on the mental side of the game.

“He has all the tools to become an amazing defender, [so] I think it’s mental,” he said.

“What I would give to him as advice is to always stay close to himself and to try to learn. That’s really important for a young player. You can’t be so focused on winning that you’re not improving as a player anymore.

“I think with this trainer [Ruben Amorim], he gives a lot of attention to that. He gives young guys chances, but also sometimes pushes them a little bit back to let them improve in training. I think he’s in a really good place with a really good staff to improve in the best way.”