6
The one unexpected positive to come out of Manchester United’s injury crisis this season has been the return to form for fringe players and the introduction of academy products.
Of course, Kobbie Mainoo is flying the flag high in terms of this season’s academy success story after Alejandro Garnacho last year.
With the way things are going, Willy Kambwala could well be next season’s success story.
The French centre-back made his Premier League debut start for United this season and put in a calm and composed performance that had Erik ten Hag praising him last year.
Senior players being fit put him back into the background for a while but with a defensive overhaul coming, Kambwala is living a dream.
Talking to Manchester United’s official website, the Frenchman said that youngsters coming through should not be afraid to dream as “it’s free” but then “you fight for it”.
He said that ever since he was a little boy, becoming a professional footballer is all he wanted to do and thanked his first “proper club” Les Ulis for giving him the launchpad to succeed.
Les Ulis might not be known to many fans but it’s the club where French United players like Patrice Evra and Anthony Martial took their first steps in the game.
Kambwala said Evra’s experience in particular gave him hope as a child that “if he did it from here, I can do it as well”.
Kambwala was lauded as having the attributes of a perfect modern centre-back after his debut by Ten Hag which is no surprise considering he idolises Paul Scholes, Paolo Maldini, and Sergio Ramos, among others.
He has been a boyhood United fan and said that Vidic was a transformative player for him.
He said: “And Vidic… like I said, I wasn’t watching a lot of football but watching United was different for me. All of the players playing for United were inspirations for me.
“I have some inspirational people outside of football as well. My parents, brothers and sisters, some coaches and some friends.”
Kambwala is eager to dream big and keep his feet on the ground. Ten Hag has already shown that if you follow instructions well and have the talent required, age is not a prohibiting factor.
For Kambwala, the breakout is hopefully on the horizon.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
