Manchester United’s first team is set for a changing of the guard as Ruben Amorim is set to make his managerial debut but things are as rosy as ever with the academy.
The Man Utd U18s are sitting pretty at the top of the table with nine wins in nine games, scoring 43 and conceding just four. The U21s have won four of their eight games but the aim is development more than results at that stage with young players often playing levels above their age.
Development is exactly what Sekou Kone needs after he signed from the Malian side Guidars FC in the summer in a highly-rated acquisition.
He made his first start for the U21s against Huddersfield Town in the EFL trophy last week but it was cut short after just 40 minutes as Kone came off with injury.
United have now received an update on his status-
Sekou Kone injury update
It was near the 40th minute of the game against Huddersfield when Kone was subject to a crunching challenge by the opposition which left a mark on him.
He couldn’t continue after that and was subbed off, with worries over his health compounded as Kone was seen leaving the stadium wearing protective boots.
Kone looked a bit overmatched physically throughout his time on the pitch and while his on-ball skills were exciting, it was clear he needed to grow into his body a bit more.
Fortunately, it looks like Kone will be back for more sooner than first feared, as the Manchester Evening News reports that Kone’s injury is “not serious”.
He is expected to return in a few weeks at most, instead of the multiple months of absence that was feared when he was seen with a protective boot.
That is a huge boost for the player since playing games at this level is the quickest way to get to grips with the pace of the game and get challenged physically.
Assessing Sekou Kone’s path to Man Utd first-team
Sekou Kone was part of Ineos’ triple swoop in the summer to create a future spine for the first team so the expectations are clearly high for the midfielder.
It is the kind of transfer United had failed far too often to make in the past, Moises Caicedo stands out as a prime example when he was in Ecuador.
Now that that step is taken care of, United need to prove to future potential acquisitions that not only are they active in getting the players, but they can be trusted with their development too.
Kone has so far been seen in first-team training on odd occasions and his involvement has been mostly restricted to U21s for now.
It seems like that will remain the case for at least this season especially now that his injury is expected to set him back by a few weeks.
As it stands, a consistent season of playing for the U21s should pave the way for a berth on the plane that goes to pre-season next summer.
With Christian Eriksen likely leaving United next season and Casemiro not getting any younger, the position will be there for a youngster to take up and Ruben Amorim has never been afraid of throwing them at the deep end.
That should be Kone chance to impress but for now, his immediate focus has to be on getting fit again and making a mark with the U21s.
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