Manchester United had a helping hand from legendary defender Rio Ferdinand in persuading highly rated Leny Yoro to join them.

Centre-back Yoro was coveted by many of Europe’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, this summer.

In the end, he plumped for United, signing a five-year contract after agreeing a £52m move from French club Lille.

Ferdinand sent Yoro a social media message welcoming him to Old Trafford and, speaking to in-house club media, 18-year-old Yoro explained the former England star had already adopted a more direct approach.

“Two weeks ago, he called me,” said Yoro.

“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.”