Ruben Amorim is quite clearly a fan of Manchester United wonderkid Godwill Kukonki as the teenager is becoming a regular in first-team training.
Of all the talented young players currently at Carrington, it is the 16-year-old central defender who has caught Ruben Amorim’s eye.
With luck, Kukonki earned his Manchester United U21 debut last month after just signing his scholarship agreement over the summer.
Kukonki made the matchday roster for Sunday’s match against Ipswich after practicing with the first team since Amorim’s first session last week.
He now appears to be included in the squad that will travel to Old Trafford on Thursday.
Amorim and his coaching staff put the Manchester United team through its paces at Carrington on Wednesday.
Much to the delight of fans, the group included Kukonki, as the teenager was pictured looking right at home along with the first-team squad.
Kukonki’s chances of being involved at least in the squad were boosted as Amorim confirmed both Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro would miss out along with Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans seemingly missing training.
Formerly only an under-18 regular, Kukonki is the only youngster who Amorim has had in first-team training with even Harry Amass sent back to the U21s and U18s.
There is a fairly logical reason for this.
While still so young, Kukonki is viewed as a possible history-maker for United, as he has over a year to make his debut and become the youngest defender to play for the club.
Not many 16-year-old centre-backs are brought into first-team training, never mind included in match-day squads and therefore there must be something very special about Kukonki.
While he is a superb footballer and defender, it is likely his physicality which has stood out to Amorim so quickly – with physical readiness a big factor in when academy players get to make the step up. We saw this as Erik ten Hag had doubts over Amass’ physicality.
However, at a reported height of 6ft 5in, Kukonki is more than ready and certainly stands out among his peers. This is one reason Chido Obi-Martin is tipped to step up quickly.
