Man United's young midfielder Sekou Kone took part in the post-season tour and could leave on loan next season.
Sekou Kone could leave on loan this summer.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Manchester United midfielder Sekou Kone could leave the club on loan this summer.
Kone was placed on the club's loan list ahead of the summer transfer window and a temporary spell away from Manchester could be arranged for the next stage of his development.
Ruben Amorim named Kone in the squad for the post-season tour in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
The 19-year-old was introduced at half-time in both games against ASEAN All-Stars and Hong Kong, and he was included in a handful of matchday squads in the Premier League this season.
Kone made the first-team bench for the first time against Tottenham in February. He was also named on the bench at Goodison Park and against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
United paid around £1million to sign Kone from Malian club Guidars FC last summer and sources preached patience when he touched down in England, saying he would need time to adapt to his new surroundings.
Kone essentially had his own pre-season after missing a lot of time training while the transfer process went on, which explained why he only made his first academy start in November.
And Kone picked up an injury when he made his first Under-21 start against Huddersfield's senior team. He struggled with the physicality of the match and limped off before half-time.
The Malian missed a few weeks of action, but he ended the season by delivering strong displays in academy fixtures and he is seen as a youngster with first-team potential.
Kone began English lessons immediately after his arrival, but Travis Binnion (Under-21 manager), Dave Hughes (former assistant), and Tommy Rowe (player-coach) also took French lessons to communicate with him.
In April, Binnion spoke about Kone to the Manchester Evening News and said: "We have a long way to go. He broke down at Huddersfield, whereas now he can get through three games in a week.
"At the next level, first-team level, he wouldn’t be able to because he’s not quite there yet, but his decision-making will make that easier for him physically.
"If he’s not in the right position or he makes the wrong decision, the game then opens up and it’s harder to be consistently in the right positions. It’s a long-term project with him, but his ability is there for all to see.
"I think the position he plays in on the pitch requires a lot of discipline, and we’re working on that discipline and decision-making. He is a really good player, but you can see tonight he’s had three, four or five shots and it’s like, there aren’t too many No.6s who are getting into the areas he is.
"You don’t want to stifle that completely, but if he’s not in the right area of the pitch, then it’s harder for the team to function and it’s harder for him to develop, so he’s working really hard through training and language support."
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