Altrincham v Manchester United U21: Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Poppy Townson – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
It is the tale of two loanees as Sekou Kone and Chido Obi find themselves in two very different situations away from Man Utd.
Sekou Kone joined Lausanne on loan in the summer, extending his stay, which began in January of this year, despite not having a fruitful six months.
Chido Obi, on the other hand, joined Willem II for his first senior football loan, and he did so as a Man Utd first-team player with minutes under his belt.
Less than three months on from those decisions, they find themselves in very different situations.
Sekou Kone dominant for Lausanne
A full pre-season for Sekou Kone at Lausanne this season already set him on the path to making an impact which he didn’t last season.
He benefitted from the familiarity and match fitness to become one of Lausanne’s key players, and his momentum was recently halted only due to a red card.
He made a good return to action in Lausanne’s recent game, a 5-4 loss, and he went one better in their latest fixture, a 2-2 draw against Grasshopper.
Kone came off the bench to play 24 minutes, and even that was enough for him to inject some spark and quality to a laborious team.
He completed 15/18 passes, created two chances, had 32 touches, two recoveries, and one tackle to sum up an all-action display from midfield.
It looks inevitable that Kone will regain his starting XI place soon as he builds up his fitness with minutes in his legs, because on pure form and ability, he is Lausanne’s best midfielder already.
The same can’t be said for Obi, who is becoming a problem for United with each passing game.
Chido Obi snubbed again by Willem II
There was excitement when Obi secured a loan move to Willem II, as they were a struggling team in a high-scoring league, which, theoretically, meant a good season awaited for the United striker.
As it turns out, Obi can’t even get off the bench for a team in a tailspin, as he was snubbed again in their recent home draw against PEC Zwolle.
Obi’s situation has been confusing for a while already, with his solitary appearance of note coming in a cup game against a second-division side.
Even when he plays, he gets zero service, and combined with United’s striker problems, this is looking like a nightmare loan for Obi.
Now snubbed in back-to-back games, it is imperative that United speak to Willem II about his situation, and if there is a break clause, recall him in January.
It is not beyond belief to think that Obi could have played more minutes for the Man Utd first team this season than he has for Willem II.