Manchester United youngster Sékou Koné will be given his chance to impress with Mali, despite still working his way up at Old Trafford.
That’s according to Mali coach Tom Saintfiet, via Africa Foot, who says the 18-year-old will be handed a chance to impress in the near future.
Koné joined Manchester United in a €1.2m deal from Guidars FC at the end of August and has been tipped for a bright future in the game.
The defensive midfielder has only made one appearance for the U21s in Premier League 2 to date but is one that fans are keeping a close eye on as they look for the next potential academy graduate.
He made a particularly strong impression in the U-17 World Cup, the tournament that put him on the radar for Manchester United to come calling.
That, plus the fact he’s now at Old Trafford, means he is very much a potential star of the future for his nation and Saintfiet admits they are going to give him his chance eventually.
“First of all, I would like to point out that Mali has an inexhaustible pool of talent. All generations have quality players, and this bodes well for the future of football in the country,” he said.
“As for Sékou Koné, he will first have to complete his training at Manchester United and we will not fail to give him a chance at the appropriate time.
“Playing with Manchester United is not an end in itself, he must progress in certain aspects to be able to have a chance with the first team.”
