[Manchester United] Willy Kambwala

 

Willy Kambwala

AUG, 28, 2004

192cm

France/Congo (two nationalities)

Manchester United #53 (back number)

contracted till JUN 30, 2025

Usually plays as a Centerback

but sometimes played as a right back or defensive midfielder in the youth team having great control of the ball

In the vicinity of Paris, France, Kwambala of FC Sochaux signed with Manchester United's youth team during the COVID-19 period in 2020 for a transfer fee of €4.00 million.

At the time of the transfer, he was a promising player to the extent of captaining the French U-16 national team.

He had also attracted interest from Liverpool.

Instead of immediately joining the first team, he initially joined the U-18 team and is currently a member of the U-21 team. Although born in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, he immigrated to France at the age of 5.

He resided in the southwestern region of Paris and chose to represent the French national team during his youth.

약 5.7억원의 이적료

At that time, Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina), Alvaro Fernandes (Spain), and Facundo Pellistri (Uruguay) joined the youth team together. Garnacho made his debut in 2022 and has recently been frequently named in the starting lineup, scoring an absolute worldlie against everton. Fernandes played on loan at Preston North End and Granada, gaining experience in competitive matches. Pellistri, accumulated considerable experience by playing in over 50 first-team matches for Deportivo Alaves and representing the senior national team of Uruguay.

Kambwala made his first appearance on the bench during Liverpool's away game at Anfield on December 17, 2023.

Surprisingly, on December 23, 2023, he started the match against West Ham at London Stadium.

Recently, he has been attracting a lot of attention from football fans and especially Manchester United Fans.

According to an interview in 2019, he mentioned that his favorite defenders are right-footed center-backs like himself, specifically naming Kalidou Koulibaly and Virgil Van Dijk.

In fact, he demonstrates a playstyle similar to theirs by carrying the ball forward directly from the defensive zone and utilizing quick and skillful ball control.

He made his debut in a match against Derby County while playing for the U-18 team, showcasing impressive performance. Leveraging his experience as the captain of the French youth team, he is known as a captain who is capable of providing comfort and motivation to his teammates.

Ten Hag has been providing opportunities for youth players since his time at Ajax. This season, we witnessed the debuts of players such as Kambwala and Kobbie Mainoo, showcasing the positive opportunities given to young talents.

but the Jonny Evans-Kambwala Centerback pair being the 10th pair combination this season shows how serious Manchester United's injury crisis have been

In recent years, Manchester United has seen several youth center-backs make their debuts, including Teden Mengi (on loan at Luton Town), Axel Tuanzebe (on loan at Ipswich Town), and Di'Schon Bernard (on loan at Sheffield Wednesday). However, despite their promising performances, they weren't considered as regular starters and eventually left the team. Willi Kambwala, too, will need to be observed in the future to see how his career unfolds, considering the pattern of youth center-backs at Manchester United in recent years.

TMI. When Jonny Evans made his debut at Manchester United, Kambwala was 3 years old. Evans was rated higher than Gerard Piqué, leading to Piqué eventually leaving to Barcelona.