Thread by @AcademyScoop

[REPOST]

Does Willy Kambwala have a future under Erik Ten Hag, or is it too late for Manchester United's French defensive super-talent? - a thread:

Kambwala was signed three years ago as part of Murtough's European academy raid which brought the likes of Garnacho, Hansen-Aarøen, Jurado, Vitek and Fernandez to the club. At the time, he was considered by many to be the best of the lot...

At sixteen, Kambwala was viewed as one France's brightest defensive prospects, having captained their international youth teams at several age groups, playing one or even two years up the majority of the time.

His previous club, Sochuax are notorious for their impressive history of cultivating high quality French talents, with Lacroix perhaps the most notable of their recent graduates. Kambwala was seen by some as his successor, but his time at United hasn't been smooth sailing.

The €4M Frenchman instantly impressed on his debut against Derby County under-18s as the youngest player on the pitch. His physical profile was (and still could be) elite, towering above his peers at 6'4, in combination with lightning speed and an elegant, but powerful stride.

Profile wise, Kambwala is comfortable playing on either side of the defense, possessing a high level of positional and spatial understanding as well as a natural ability to read the game. His mobility and technical ability make him the full package as a modern day centre-half.

The teenager is fantastic on the ball, with a wide range of passes in his repertoire. Kambwala makes light work of long range switches, as well as line breaking drilled balls, incorporating verticality and progression into the majority of his passing.

Kambwala is also a highly competent carrier, and utilises his industrious build, lengthy stride and technicality to glide past his opponents and evade the press. He has all the necessary attributes to play for Manchester United's first team.

For me, the only reason he's not already an established first team defender is the copious amount of time he's spent out on the sidelines, due to a string of injuries he's accrued over the last three years.

Just two weeks into life in Manchester, Kambwala suffered a severe ankle injury in a friendly match between United's under-21s and Salford's first team which resulted in him wearing a protective boot, and ruled him out for just under a year.

Since his return to football in September 2021, Kambwala has been in and out of action, suffering a number of smaller injuries likely as a result of spending such an extensive period away from regular football.

During the 2021/22 season, Kambwala made just thirteen appearances, twelve of which were in the under-18 Premier League, as well as featuring once in the UEFA Youth League in a match against Villarreal under-19s that finished 4-1 to the Spaniards.

After struggling to establish a consistent run of games last season, Kambwala's luck finally looks to be on the up. The defender is currently experiencing his longest period of availability since joining the club, and has massively impressed in a handful of recent games.

This season, Kambwala has made four under-21 appearances as well as featuring twice for United's under-18s, accumulating a total of 469 minutes. Following his inclusion in first-team training, Ten Hag may view Kambwala as a solution to United's current centre-half crisis.

Mass panic has ensued amongst United's supporters following the potentially season-ending injuries Martinez and Varane picked up against Sevilla, while questions have been asked of Maguire's ability to fill the void in their absence.

This combination of factors has created an ideal opportunity for Kambwala to step up and take advantage of United's lack of defensive options. If however Ten Hag doesn't view Kambwala as being ready to feature, it's likely that he'll get a chance to impress during pre-season.

It remains to be seen whether Kambwala will ever fulfill the enormous potential he possessed when he first arrived at the club, (which will ultimately depend on his ability to stay fit) but he's most definitely one to keep an eye on as Ten Hag continues to advance his project.

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