Ruben Amorim saw his Man Utd side stumble to more dropped points, but fans saw a glimpse into the future with two debutants, and another must follow soon.
Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher finally made their Man Utd debut after being named on the bench for many games, and Ruben Amorim deserves credit for trusting them.
However, United finished the Aston Villa game eight first-team regulars short of full-strength, meaning that a full-blown squad crisis is on the horizon.
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While it’s a chance for fringe players to fight their way back into contention, it’s also time for Amorim to make it a troika of debutants by unleashing a youngster who is ‘transformed’ this season.
Ruben Amorim must give Sekou Kone his Man Utd debut
Sekou Kone signed for Man Utd in the summer of 2024, and nobody who looked at him at the time thought he was even remotely ready for the rigours of English football, let alone the top division.
Kone showed talent and skill in possession, but he was extremely frail and looked too weak to go into duels, which form the spine of the game in England.
Expectedly, United didn’t send him on loan as Kone spent the last season working with the club to build himself up, while playing academy football.
This season, Kone has looked transformed, adding much more bulk to his body to look capable of playing against senior professionals.
An injury at the start of the season to his eye derailed his momentum that he had gained with a brilliant postseason tour last year, but he’s back in action.
Kone looked good in the most recent U21s outing, and with the injury to Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, should be a first-team debut candidate.
Manuel Ugarte is struggling immensely, and education doesn’t come much better for Kone than starting next to Casemiro, who’ll return from his suspension against Newcastle.
Kone is a more natural option in defensive midfield than Jack Fletcher, who played there against Villa as United chased the equaliser.
More importantly, Kone will turn 20 in February, so his road to a breakout must begin soon, because not having any senior European football under his belt by the age of 20 can lead to stagnation.
Amorim has already hinted at creative solutions
In a boost for Kone, Amorim ruled out any panic, short-term driven signings in January after the loss to Aston Villa.
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It’s looking likely that the only player United will go for is Antoine Semenyo, who can be a part of the spine of the team in the long-term.
That opens the door for Kone to put his hand up for that defensive midfield spot because there is unlikely to be any reinforcement coming in that position.
United have their sights set on Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba, and neither will be available in January, so Amorim’s creative solutions will end up benefiting the academy.
Kone is the player most well-placed to take that position because he’s been at the club for 18 months, has worked on his body, and returned from injury in good form.
He could be the one who takes advantage of this crisis and ends up giving United a new first-team player.
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