Lausanne-Sport have decide to omit Manchester United youngster Sekou Kone from their UEFA Conference League squad.
The 20-year-old has been considered one of the most promising young players at Carrington since joining the Red Devils in the summer of 2024.
Last season, the battling midfielder was included in the squad on three occasions, but Ruben Amorim never gave him his senior debut.
The Malian was expected to finally make his first-team bow at Man Utd this season, but his campaign began on a horrific note. Kone fractured his eye socket during a U21 match against Tramworth in mid August, forcing the referee to stop the match.
Sekou Kone excluded from Lausanne-Sport’s UEFA squad
After spending several months on the sidelines, Kone made a few appearances for Man Utd U21 before joining Lausanne-Sport on loan in January. This move was orchestrated by INEOS, who are the majority owners of the Swiss top-flight club, and also hold a minority stake at United, and are in charge of the club’s day-to-day operations.
Following his arrival at Lausanne, the coaching staff was said to be ‘blown away’ by Kone, who managed to impress on the training field.
But according to the Manchester Evening News, the young loanee has been dropped from the club’s Conference League squad.
Photo by Sekou Kone on Instagram
As the source explains, each club is allowed to register three new winter signings ahead of the knockout stages, but Lausanne head coach Peter Zeidler opted against including the Malian in the list.
On the other hand, fellow Man Utd loanee Enzo Kana-Biyik kept his place in the squad. The young striker has already carved out a place in the manager’s rotation. The 19-year-old joined the Swiss club last summer.
Kone endured a forgettable debut at Lausanne
While Kone won’t be eligible to play in Lausanne’s European fixtures, he can still feature in the domestic competitions, including the Swiss top flight.
Since signing for the club, the young midfielder was on the bench in three league games, but only participated in one contest, making his debut against league leaders FC Thun. He entered the field in the final 10 minutes, with his team trailing 1-3. Lausanne ended up losing 1-5.
Sekou Kone’s stats on his Lausanne debut (via FotMob)
It remains to be seen if the young midfielder will be able to climb his way up the pecking order and become a regular feature for his temporary club.
Kone will be eager to prove his worth in Switzerland and try to win a place in Man Utd’s first team next season, but his experience in Lausanne has already begun on a sour note.