“Manchester United star is surprised by controversial exclusion.”

The meteoric rise of Sekou Kone, the young prospect of Manchester United, has suffered an unexpected blow that has left fans perplexed and concerned. The 20-year-old player, who made a name for himself at Carrington since joining the Red Devils in the 2024 season, was surprisingly excluded from Lausanne-Sport’s squad for the UEFA Conference League. This decision, which comes after a series of high expectations, raises questions about the future of the Malian talent in European football.

Described as “uncontrollable” during some of his performances, Kone seemed poised to shine in his first season at Manchester United. However, his trajectory began tragically. After suffering an orbital fracture in a match for the under-21 team against Tramworth in mid-August, the young player was forced into a lengthy recovery period. Although he was called up to the senior team on three occasions last season, coach Ruben Amorim never gave him the opportunity to make his debut.

After months away from the pitch, Kone made a few appearances for the under-21 team before being loaned to Lausanne-Sport in January. This move was driven by INEOS, which holds the majority stake in the Swiss club and also a minority stake in United. Kone’s arrival at Lausanne generated excitement, with the coaching staff claiming to have been “impressed” by his performance during training.

However, the twist came when Lausanne announced Kone’s exclusion from the squad for the knockout stages of the Conference League. According to the Manchester Evening News, coach Peter Zeidler decided not to register the young talent, opting to keep Enzo Kana-Biyik, another player on loan from Manchester United, in the squad. Kana-Biyik has already secured a place in the team’s rotation, while Kone faces a period of uncertainty.

Although he cannot participate in European competitions, Kone still has the opportunity to shine in domestic competitions, including the Swiss league. So far, he has been on the bench for three league matches but has only had the chance to play in one of them, where he made his debut against FC Thun, the league leaders. He came on in the last 10 minutes when his team was already losing 1-3, and the final result was a disastrous 1-5.

With a start to his career at Lausanne that is proving less than ideal, Kone now faces the challenge of proving his worth and earning a place in the first team of Manchester United next season. The pressure is high, and all eyes are on him, waiting for the young prodigy to recover and shine again on European pitches.