Man Utd’s £1m signing Sekou Kone could be answer to midfield problem

Sekou Kone joined Manchester United last year, with it taking the club's academy coaches very little time to be convinced that he is a high-potential player for the club's engine room

Sekou Kone received glowing reviews from Manchester United U21 boss Travis Binnion after just three appearances for the club's academy. The 19-year-old was snapped up in a £1million transfer from Guidars FC last summer, and it didn't take long for him to leave his mark in the Under-21s setup.

Despite Kone missing out on academy-level pre-season preparations and being given time to find his feet before being thrown into action, Binnion was upbeat in his evaluation of the teenager once he stepped onto the pitch.

Discussing Kone with the MEN last November following a match against Huddersfield Town's senior squad, Binnion said: "He's a high potential player, there's no doubt about that. His games to this point have been 20 minutes at Sunderland in a game we were poor in, 45 minutes in a game where we were completely dominant in Under-19s.

"To have his third game and his first start tonight, at that level, I thought for 20 minutes he was excellent. Then they get a little bit of pressure on him, it gets a little bit harder, it just shows he is learning where he's at and it's no problem.

"He's shown more than enough in the three games to suggest that with time and with work he's got a real chance of being a really good player, but it's a high potential Under-21s player with first-team potential, I don't think we can get too ahead of ourselves.

"He's come off injured tonight so will have to see the severity of that. He needs to get fit, stay fit, get a run of training and games and then we'll where he's at.

"It's just playing games, seeing pre-match and post-match sessions, analysis, translating them. You can see he can play the game and he's got real ability, it's just a run now and consistency and letting him learn and develop at his own rate."

Meanwhile, MUFC TV pundit Liam Bradford likened the defensive midfielder to Kobbie Mainoo earlier this year, saying: "He's quite similar to Kobbie Mainoo in that he can receive the ball in tight areas and get out of danger with a quick turn.

"He's having an impact all over the pitch, Sekou Kone. He's making an impact and stepping up in attack and defence."

Fast forward to September 2025, and Kone has gained invaluable experience training with the United first-team, but Binnion believes that academy games are where the young talent will truly shine. Earlier this year, he said: "A lot of [academy] players train with the first-team a lot because they're further along in their development. He does train with the first-team, but he needs to make sure he's developing his own game, so when he goes full time with the first-team, he's in the right space."

Despite a challenging season last term, which saw Manchester United finish in 15th place in the Premier League, there's hope on the horizon for Ruben Amorim's side. The Red Devils were linked with Brighton's Carlos Baleba over the summer, but his £100m price tag proved too steep, especially after the board had already spent £200m on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

However, it seems United may already have their future midfield stars waiting in the wings, thanks to their renowned academy system. Youngster Mainoo has been turning heads since making his full Premier League debut under Erik ten Hag in November 2023, despite this summer's travails, and Kone could also be one to watch if he continues to develop at his current pace.

However, Kone suffered a setback last month when he fractured his eye socket during an Under-21s match against National League side Tamworth. The injury led to him being stretchered off and hospitalised, and it's still unclear when he'll be able to return to the pitch.

But if he can bounce back from this injury and continue to impress at academy level, he could find himself playing sporadically for the United first-team as early as this season.