United wonderkid’s loan spell goes from bad to worse as he suffers brutal treatment on first league start

Manchester United agreed several loan deals this season, and while quite a few have gone smoothly, not every loan has worked out. Sekou Kone was loaned out to fellow INEOS-owned club FC Lausanne Sport in the Swiss Super League after the Malian impressed during an extensive trial. United signed off on the short-term deal as the midfield wonderkid would get the chance to play in the UEFA Conference League after having impressed the coaches over there. However, the loan stint has turned out to be a nightmare for the 20-year-old. Since joining, he has managed a meagre 36 minutes of action over two cameo appearances before Sunday. First league start did not go to plan He was also snubbed when the club named its Conference League squad, a move that has left the United hierarchy puzzled. The Mali U23 international finally earned his first league start on Sunday, in a crunch tie against Basel at home. It is safe to say, it did not go according to plan. He was utilised as a wide midfielder on the left of a midfield three and he proved to be ineffective. The Carrington graduate ended up only lasting the first half and did not emerge for the second half as the visitors secured all three points. Can Sekou Kone overcome this difficult period? How the defensive midfielder overcomes this difficult period will show United what sort of character the midfielder is. Before his loan, he had made a total of three appearances for the United U21s before his injury at Tamworth. Last season, Sekou Kone had caught former head coach Ruben Amorim’s eye and was tipped to earn a senior debut. That never came, but he did impress during the post-season tour of Asia. Hopefully, Sekou Kone can get his act together and impress during the rest of his loan spell so that he can earn a place in United’s pre-season squad. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25