Ineos’ recruitment policy at Manchester can be summed up with the signing of Leny Yoro, and this summer they could repeat this move.

Last summer, the footballing world was shocked with Manchester United were able to swoop in and steal Leny Yoro from under the noses of Real Madrid.

Yoro was considered the Kylian Mbappe of centre-backs, tipped as a future best in the world defender, with generational potential. This made it a real coup that he would choose United over all other interested parties.

Despite injuries delaying his start to life at Old Trafford, when he got his chance, Yoro has quickly became irreplaceable in the backline for Ruben Amorim.

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This more than justifying the £52m spent on the French teenager, and showing an example of why Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to sign the ‘next Mbappe’ opposed to spending hundreds of millions on the ready made thing.

So it would be no surprise if United moved to replicate this move, and at Lille right now there is another talent worth taking seriously, with generational potential.

Ayyoub Bouaddi in Champions League action vs Borussia Dortmund.Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAyyoub Bouaddi can be Manchester United’s perfect midfield addition this summer

A signing like Yoro is perfect, with United building to win the Premier League in 2028, a project that suits elite talents who will be coming into their best years in the future.

Ayyoub Bouaddi fits that bill this summer, at Lille where United picked up Yoro in 2024.

Despite being just 17, Bouaddi has already made himself a regular contributor for Lille in the Champions League and Ligue 1. He is so highly rated in France that Lille defender Alexsandro has tipped him to follow in Yoro’s footsteps, while speaking with Be Football in an interview.

“For me, Ayyoub Bouaddi is a star. I think that in 3 to 4 years he will explode, like Leny Yoro who was here with us, and who left for Manchester United. He will have the same journey.”

After making his European debut for Lille aged just 16, his manager Paulo Fonseca said: “It’s not normal to play like that at that age”, as quoted by BBC Sport.

Bouaddi has the confidence and ability to match it, which is needed to be a United player and so if Ineos are looking to sign a player with the ability to become a star in midfield at a similar pace to Yoro in defence, then Bouaddi is that player.

Over the 2024-25 season, Bouaddi put in stellar performances often while playing in a manner he should be years from reaching, against clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

This isn’t a name from thin air either, with United having looked at Bouaddi previously, which suggests he is under consideration, especially after the club missed out on Jobe Bellingham.

READ: Who is Ayyoub Bouaddi? Man Utd target 17yo sensation who’s like a midfielder Matheus Cunha

Bouaddi could become Ruben Amorim’s dream midfielder

Just like Yoro, Bouaddi has a maturity to his game which is well beyond his years, and this can be seen with how he is already showing traits of being an excellent defensive midfielder.

Bouaddi is excellent in possession, having a pass accuracy of 88 per cent last season, while he also shines in carrying the ball forward with dribbles.

Where he really comes into his own though is in terms of his tackling and duels, winning a high amount of both, considering he is still not even 18, this should only improve as he grows physically.

Bouaddi seems to have all the tools to be a progressive destroyer and if United signed him, he could be perfect to have on the bench and gradually increase his minutes over the next 18 months.

He is also unlikely to cost an arm and a leg, likely less than Yoro did last summer, all for a player with potential to be in the same bracket.