French wonderkid spotted in Man Utd first-team training ahead of Tottenham clash

Manchester United wonderkid Willy Kambwala was spotted in training ahead of the Red Devils' trip to Tottenham.

Erik ten Hag's side travel to north London in high spirits after beating Brighton on penalties to reach the FA Cup final.

United will be hoping to secure another victory against Tottenham, as they edge ever closer to Champions League qualification.

To do so, they must navigate their way past a Spurs side low on confidence.

The Lilywhites were on the receiving end of a 6-1 battering against Newcastle on the weekend, which saw their Champions League hopes all but disappear.

However, Ten Hag approaches the match with an injury-stricken squad, and as a result has been forced to call up several academy players to help out.

Who is Kambwala?

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004, Kambwala and his family moved to France when he was five.

After beginning his football journey with Elan Chevilly Larue, Kambwala moved on to Les Ulis in 2013 before joining Ligue 2 side Sochaux in 2020.

He later joined United in a £3.5 million move in 2020 after being signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 18-year-old centre-back, who has captained France at U16 level, is renowned for his confidence on the ball and ability to pick out forward passes from defence.

While he has been drafted in ahead of United's clash against Tottenham on Wednesday evening to help provide cover for the absent Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

The pair picked up separate knocks during Manchester United's Europa League 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Old Trafford earlier this month.

Martinez has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured metatarsal bone, while Varane is unlikely to feature again in the Premier League this term.

With Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire left as the clubs's only senior fit central defenders, Ten Hag has had to delve deep into his reserves for alternatives.

Luke Shaw has proved he can fill in at centre-back when required, doing so recently against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final.

Kambwala wasn't the only youngster called up to train with the first team on Tuesday, with right-back Marc Jurado, Isak Hansen-Aarøen and Zidane Iqbal also pictured at Carrington ahead of the match against Tottenham.

Topics: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Erik Ten Hag, Football, Premier League

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno