As Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered Red Devils sweatily trudged off against a backdrop of boos from a frustrated Malaysian crowd, after a shock defeat against a cobbled together All-Stars team, you would be forgiven for thinking this was another totally terrible day at the office for the Premier League side.

However, amid the misplaced passes, skewed shots and poor first touches, there were glimmers of positivity for United’s Head Coach to reflect upon who gave a lot of United’s promising youngsters a run out, most notably Sékou Koné.

Koné was snapped up by United in August 2024, joining the side from Mali outfit Guidars following a superb display for the U17 national side at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Appearances thereafter have been predominantly in United’s youth set, aside from an impressive cameo in the EFL Trophy against Huddersfield Town before being scuppered with injury, yet it was in a sweltering Kuala Lumpur, at the end of United’s worst season in decades, where the Malian made his first-team debut.

Although only a 13-minute spell, Koné’s composure on the ball, his eagerness to drive forward and his willingness to attempt a long-range effort were enough to set United fans, desperate for any good news, into a frenzy on X. This outpouring of praise was not undeserved either. 

Koné did look settled when receiving the ball, both going forwards and with his back to goal. His passes out wide and driving through the centre were signs of positive midfield traits, and his youthful energy injected a bit of pace and dynamism into a United side which looked tired out both by the heat and playing again after a 60-game season. It was easy to see, just from this short appearance, why Koné has been likened to Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure by African media following his explosive displays in the 2023 tournament.

Followers of United’s youth teams would not have been surprised by Koné’s performance, albeit brief, but it does pose some interesting questions for Amorim as he starts to assemble his United side for next season. One painstakingly obvious problem this campaign highlighted was the lack of purposeful transition through the middle, and although not against the most challenging of opposition, Koné’s desire to receive the ball and shift it onwards gives his Portuguese manager something to contemplate, given the lacklustre efforts of United’s midfield that has struggled to find consistency between Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, and sorely missing the energy Scotland midfielder, and now Serie A champion Scott McTominay brought to the side.

It could be that United plan for Koné to leave on loan for 2025-26, to give the Mali youth international more game time outside of the youth setup, with a move to fellow INEOS club Lausanne touted. Yet the emergence of Mainoo proves that it is not unheard of for gifted United Academy midfielders to slot seamlessly into the club’s first team, and Koné looks to be someone for United fans to keep a close, excited eye on.