Who is Willy Kambwala? The French starlet hoping to make mark on Manchester United first team

Willy Kambwala has now spent three years at Manchester United, becoming a well-known figure among the club's youth ranks.

United signed the then 16-year-old from Ligue 2 side Sochaux for a deal worth in the region of £3.5million in 2020, with his arrival heralded as a huge signing for the future. However, he has yet to make a first team appearance, and at the age of 19 he will be hoping to press his claims this pre-season after injury stalled his progress in recent years.

He has had a taste of the senior squad, having been called up to train with the first team during last season's injury crisis. At 6ft4in, he is an imposing defender who holds the technical skills required to thrive in the modern game. The Frenchman was highly rated as a youngster in his homeland and arrived as part of United’s policy to recruit the best youngsters in the business.

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At the age of 16, he captained a France U17 side packed with young talent. YouTube clips of the youngster have surfaced showing the defender carry the ball out from the back, tracking back and running past forwards.

He shuts down attacks, passes the ball out from the back, towers at corners and set pieces, glides past pressing midfielders and even sprays passes out wide.

Kambwala’s pace, confidence on the ball and flair separates him from most modern-day centre-backs, and he could certainly prove to be a long-term successor to the current crop of United centre-backs - a problem position in recent times for United.

Here, MEN Sport has taken a quick look at some basic