Who Is Sékou Koné, The Player Set To Join Manchester United?

According to a report from L’Équipe journalist Loïc Tanzi, 18-year-old Sékoué is expected to join Manchester United tomorrow from Malian club Guidars FC.

The Athletic previously reported that the club plans to help the midfielder adjust to the cultural shift of moving from his home country by gradually allowing him to settle in and find his feet.

Koné regarded as a highly skilled player, with the immediate focus being on integrating him into the U21 squad, where he can grow and develop. In the long run, the club envisions him as a potential future option for the defensive midfield position.

It is rumored United will pay a fixed fee in the region of £1.2 million for his signature, with a number of performance-related add-ons also included, and the deal should be made official by early next week.

The 18-year-old will initially feature for United at the U21s level but will train regularly with the first-team squad to help him adapt to his new surroundings as well as gauge where he is up to in his development plan.

Kone seems to be an exciting addition to the club, but who exactly is this Mali wonderkid?

Here is everything you need to know:

Koné is regarded as one of the most exciting youth talents in African football and rose to prominence with his performances for Mali at the U17 World Cup last year.

The teenager was one of the standout players as Mali secured third place in the tournament, achieving the position with a 3-0 win over Argentina in the playoff match. While he didn’t score, he concluded the competition with two assists to his name.

Kone is primarily a defensive midfielder who is also capable of playing in a more traditional central role and is viewed as a player with enormous untapped potential and the possibility of one day making it into the first-team frame.

Kone will primarily feature for United at U21 level in his debut season but will likely be involved in first-team training sessions regularly to aid his development. He could get his first taste of proper men’s football during the EFL Trophy campaign, which continues with matches against both Doncaster and Huddersfield next month.

His current club, Guidars FC, is not renowned for producing elite talent, but he also previously trained at the JMG Academy, which has developed players such as Yves Bissouma and Jason Denayer in the past.

A club source described the deal to sign the teenager as a ‘scouting led signing’ with summer recruit Christopher Vivell understood to have played a role in bringing him to the club as well as constructing his progression plan.