Former Manchester United defender Willy Kambwala is celebrating making a long-awaited return to action.
Kobbie Mainoo’s goal at the Stretford End against Liverpool brought back memories of his strike against the same opponents in 2024. In that 2-2 draw against Liverpool, Willy Kambwala was one of the starting centre-backs.
It was one of 10 appearances Kambwala made for Manchester United before being sold to Villarreal in summer 2024. Life has not been easy for the French defender since…
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Willy Kambwala latest
Willy Kambwala reached a milestone at the weekend, making his first appearance of the 2025/26 season.
Kambwala is still at Villarreal, but his season has been wiped out by a long-standing hamstring problem.
The 21-year-old came off the bench for the final nine minutes of Villarreal’s 5-1 victory over Levante at the weekend.
Posting on Instagram, Kambwala wrote: “275 days of faith, hard work and patience but it’s simple God is great and faithful. Thank you all for your support during this long period. We are back.”
Manchester United signed Kambwala in 2020 when he was only 16.
After a bright start, an early injury delayed his impact, but he eventually forced his way into Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United first team amid a defensive crisis during the 2023/24 campaign.
He was on the bench for United in the 2024 FA Cup Final.
United decided to cash in on Kambwala that summer, selling him for £4.7 million plus a further £5.2 million in add-ons.
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Kambwala games for Villarreal
Willy Kambwala played 21 games for Villarreal during the 2024/25 season, a promising campaign that saw him play alongside former United defender Eric Bailly.
Now after making his return, Kambwala will be wanting to get a little more game time under his belt before the season comes to an end.
He is under contract with Villarreal until 2029, and now just needs to stay fit. The young centre-back has always had the talent, he just needs his body to hold up.
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