Manchester United have been fairly lucky with the injury part for the senior team, but the academy was hit with a brutal one right out of the gate in the form of Sekou Kone’s issue.
Sekou Kone, who traveled with the senior team to the USA but received zero minutes, is back with the U21 side to begin the season.
He started against Tamworth for Man Utd 21s on August 13 but picked up a serious injury, which saw him stretchered off and the game suspended due to a lack of an ambulance on site.
United faced a nervous wait to know about the extent of Kone’s injury, and they’ve now received an update.
Sekou Kone with barbell while wearing Manchester United training kit.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Sekou Kone injury update
It is never a good sight to see a player getting stretchered off, and it was doubly unfortunate for Kone, who is aiming for a breakthrough this season.
Kone’s transformation has been remarkable, which is why his lack of role in pre-season was worrying.
However, academy games provided a great opportunity for him to set himself apart, with Tamworth being the first one, especially as a non-academy side.
As per the Daily Mail, the prognosis for Kone’s injury is far better than expected, with the Man Utd wonderkid suffering from a fracture in his eye socket.
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He will have a scan this week to assess the extent of the injury to his orbital bone, but playing with a mask has been mooted, which would be a remarkable scenario considering how serious the injury looked when it happened.
He could return with a mask in just a couple of weeks, but he has the option to play it safe on the table as well, with another injury/hit to the affected area a distinct possibility.
Kone needs to break through this season
Kone’s first season at Old Trafford was effectively a soft landing where he moved around occasionally with the first team, but was never in contention for minutes.
Kone’s post-season tour heroics saw him jump up in many people’s estimations, as Ruben Amorim changed plans for him to go out on loan.
However, he didn’t play any minutes in pre-season, which set him back again, so this season is crucial for him to establish himself.
Kone turned 19 in February, so the time for him to get senior football has already arrived. This injury might have curtailed his chances of getting a loan this summer.
However, if it hasn’t, then United do need to move quickly because he’s at a stage where U21s football is not challenging enough, and the senior team has no space for him.
From that perspective, his injury being better than first feared is a huge boost because it can effectively save six months of his career by allowing him to go on loan this summer instead of in January.