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FC Lausanne-Sport’s reaction to the deal which saw Manchester United starlet Sekou Koné sign for the Swiss side on loan until the end of the season has been revealed.
The Malian Maestro
Koné, 20, was signed by the Red Devils in the summer of 2024 from Malian side Guidars FC, in a deal worth £1.25 million.
The highly rated midfield maestro had impressed for Mali at the Under-17 World Cup, drawing comparisons to Yaya Touré with his “outstanding” performances at the heart of his country’s side.
Naturally, United have been patient with a young player arriving in a new country, and he has enjoyed a slow but steady rise through the ranks of the academy sides.
An awful setback at the beginning of this campaign–Koné suffered a fractured eye socket playing for the U-21s in September–impeded his progress in a season where the club’s hierarchy had hoped he would kick on.
This eventually led the 20-year-old midfielder to start training with Lausanne-Sport, another club owned by INEOS, in January, with growing expectation he would remain in Switzerland until the end of the season.
Another of the club’s starlets, Enzo Kana-Biyik–signed from Le Havre on a free transfer last summer–is already on loan with Lausanne-Sport, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plots to strengthen their growing multi-club empire.
On the final day of the winter window, United confirmed Koné had joined their sister club on loan, with Lausanne-Sport currently seventh in the Swiss Super League and through to the next stage of the Europa Conference League.
“Over the moon”
The Daily Mail reveals the “INEOS-owned Lausanne Sport are absolutely over the moon at locking down” the United starlet until the end of the season.
The report states their coaching staff has been “blown away” by the Malian’s “technical level on the ball”– with a “real excitement” about his development as a ball-winning midfielder.
The loan switch is understood to be seen as a “litmus test” for the Lausanne-Manchester United relationship, with an appreciation for how “fruitful” the arrangement has been for other clubs, such as Manchester City and Chelsea.
United will almost certainly be in the market for two new midfielders this summer, perhaps even three if Manuel Ugarte joins Casemiro in leaving Old Trafford at the end of the campaign.
If a highly rated prospect was to enjoy a superb six months for a senior side under the umbrella of his ownership, competing both domestically and in Europe, they may just have a new home in the United dressing room waiting for them when they return.
Arise Sekou of House Koné to take your rightful place at Ye Olde Trafford.
Featured Image: Sekou Koné’s signing for Man United, posted on Instagram
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