Vincent Kompany has offered an encouraging early assessment of teenage midfielder Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, describing the highly rated youngster as one of the standout talents currently emerging from the club’s youth setup.
Speaking after Ndiaye was introduced to first-team training, Kompany was keen to stress that the move is less about instant impact and more about long-term development. The head coach explained that the midfielder, who arrived via the club’s Red & Gold academy pathway, will be given time to adapt to the demands of senior football.
“Max can say more about how the transfer went,” Kompany said. “He’s a player from our Red & Gold academy. He has pace as a midfielder, he’s a young talent and he’s ineligible for our second team at the moment. But he can have a four to five month adaptation period with the first team. From what I’ve seen in training, he’s shown that he’s one of the talents we currently have in our youth.”
Those who have followed Ndiaye closely are already excited by his physical and technical profile. The 18-year-old is seen as an all-action midfielder, blessed with athleticism, strength and the ability to operate across multiple roles in the centre of the pitch. Some within the club believe his development could even see him challenge established options, with comparisons already being drawn to Pavlović in terms of future first-team relevance.
Sporting director Max Eberl echoed Kompany’s measured optimism, emphasizing that Ndiaye’s arrival should be viewed as a continuation of an existing development project rather than a conventional transfer.
“He’s not really a new signing,” Eberl explained. “He’s from the Gambinos Academy, we have several players there. He’s just turned 18 and needs to adapt to European football here. We’ve loaned him for six months, then we’ll see what the best next step for him is in the summer.”
For now, the focus remains firmly on adaptation and growth. But with early impressions in training already positive, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye’s integration into the first-team environment could prove to be the first chapter of a much bigger story.