Leny Yoro breaks silence after Thierry Henry criticism as Man Utd star sends clear message

Leny Yoro has hit back with a strong response after the young defender received criticism from and Jamie Carragher for his part in the team's 4-1 drubbing by Newcastle at the weekend. The 19-year-old, who worked under Henry in the French U23 squad last summer, found himself at the centre of a scathing review by the ex-Arsenal forward during his .

The ex-Premier League star was left baffled by Yoro's reaction while trying to stop Harvey Barnes from netting Newcastle's second goal. Henry stated that he had "never seen" such a response as the centre-half glanced towards the linesman following the goal, as the former striker claimed Yoro was hoping the match official would "save" him.

The legendary striker brutally questioned: "I don't know what he's looking at, why are you looking?" This was while analysing the footage in a segment in the Sky Sports studio that's since been deleted on their social media. "You're looking at the linesman, hoping he'll save you. But from what? We all know it's a goal, what are you looking at? I've never seen that before."

Carragher, who was also appearing on Sky Sports, added: "That's going to be a meme now!"

Yoro, who joined United for a hefty £52million from Lille in July 2024, has clocked up 17 Premier League appearances this season, starting approximately every third match.

Although Henry has previously managed Yoro within the French youth teams at both U21 and U23 levels - even selecting him for the Olympic Games squad - the player withdrew to participate in Lille's UEFA Champions League qualification matches. United supporters on X were left fuming over the critical assessment of the defender's performance, deeming the commentary excessively severe, with some slamming it as "bizarre punditry".

Nevertheless, Yoro responded to the scrutiny on Tuesday night in a subdued fashion. He took to social media, placing a Bible verse on top of an image of himself bowed on the St James' Park pitch - signaling he is unfazed by the negativity.

"'Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart," was inscribed in French on his post, citing Philippians 4:6.

Amid the fallout from the Newcastle defeat, Carragher did not hold back in criticising United either. He ended up drawing a stark comparison between Ruben Amorim's lineup and 'under-five young kids' rather than seasoned pros.

The ex-Liverpool star said: "How bad are Manchester United? They lack everything, Manchester United. Harvey Barnes' first touch, you've got two defenders before he gets to the goal and two defenders chasing him.

"If I tell you now he picks the ball up and he is going to score here and not be challenged, you can't think that is possible at any level of football, if it was under-five young kids or Premier League.

"That is not acceptable to start in that position and finish there [in the box] without a challenge. We're running out of things to say about them."