15 February 2024 , 13:07
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Kobbie Mainoo is the name on every Manchester United fan's lips at the moment, but there is another exciting Red Devils youngster waiting in the wings.
Willy Kambwala has already made his Premier League debut when he was handed a shock start away at West Ham on December 23. While things didn't go his way on that occasion, with United falling to a 2-0 defeat, it was a testament to Erik ten Hag's trust in the teenager that he felt like he could throw the central defender in at the deep end.
Since that afternoon, he's made four appearances for the club at senior level - with three coming off the substitutes bench. Those appearances came four years after Kambwala was signed by United from French outfit Sochaux for around £3.5million back in 2020 when he was just 16 years of age.
Though he is still only 19 now, standing at 6ft 4in, the young Frenchman has the required physical profile to thrive at the heart of United's defence. Kambwala is every inch a modern-day centre-back, given he is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet while also posing a threat at attacking set-pieces.
Central defence has been a problem area for Ten Hag recently, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire all at some stage this season having to miss a game through injury. Having Kambwala already get some first-team football under his belt could prove vital if another injury crisis plagues United at the business end of the season.
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Ten Hag's handling of Mainoo's rise from academy star to first-team regular has been exemplary and all the signs suggest he is planning to do the same with Kambwala. The United boss has already spoken to Kambwala's qualities, heaping praise on the defender ahead of that away game against the Hammers in December.
"He's calm, he's made a good impression in training," Ten Hag told TNT Sports. "Of course he's inexperienced and this is a big moment for him. He's athletic, calm on the ball, he has his opportunity now."
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Willy Kambwala is expected to be Man United's next young starThe Dutchman is not the only high-profile United figure to wax lyrical about the defender. Kambwala, who spent time at the same Les Ulis academy as Patrice Evra, was the subject of praise from the former Red Devils left-back.
Kambwala told the United website that Evra served as an inspiration to him, explaining: "I was like ‘Okay, if he did it from here, I can do it as well’. We had a main building [at Les Ulis] with all the shirts on the wall and I was like ‘Yeah, one day I want my shirt to be on this wall.'
"So it was really inspirational. Every coach over there was talking about [those players] because they had them when they were kids. It helps you to know what you have to do." Evra soon replied, taking to Instagram to write: "That’s all we asked, passion and love. Well done Wills, I’m proud of you."
Passion and love may be Evra's main non-negotiables, but Ten Hag will need to see some flair, composure and resilience thrown in as well. Luckily Kambwala, just like Mainoo, has it in abundance.
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