The extraordinary measures taken by Man United’s Willy Kambwala to sidestep injuries | OneFootball

Emerging Manchester United centre-back Willy Kambwala has reportedly developed a habit of arriving at Carrington hours before the scheduled time for training to take part in injury prevention exercises.

Kambwala’s impressive performances for United this season whenever given the chance by Erik ten Hag, have seen the youngster rise from a youth team regular to a first-team player in a very short space of time.

He made his full debut for United in the 2-0 defeat against West Ham in December at the London Stadium.

More recently he was handed just his second start for the Red Devils in their blockbuster 2-2 draw vs. bitter rivals Liverpool at home, amidst an injury crisis in the defensive department. Even at the moment, Kambwala and Harry Maguire remain the only fit and available central defenders available to Ten Hag for selection, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane all sidelined.

Against Jurgen Klopp’s men, Kambwala was excellent and did a great job of nullifying Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah. His exploits earned him praise from Ten Hag and Rio Ferdinand, who named him the man of the match.

However, it hasn’t been all easy for Kambwala, who has had to overcome a lot of fitness difficulties during his time at Old Trafford. The Frenchman joined United at the same time as Marc Jurado (from Barcelona), Alvaro Fernandez (Real Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Atletico Madrid), Isak Hansen-Aaroen (Tromso) and Radek Vitek (Olomouc), as part of the club’s campaign to recruit some of the most promising players from Europe.

The Red Devils forked out £3.5million, for the then 16-year-old, who was tipped to have a bright future. However, just two weeks into his new life in England while already playing for the U21s, Kambwala suffered a severe ankle injury in a friendly match against Salford City. The setback ruled him out of competitive action for almost a year.

After that, he struggled for consistency and sustained a string of smaller issues that hampered his progress.

It speaks to Kambwala’s mental fortitude that he worked through all those challenges to capture Ten Hag’s attention and promotion into the Dutchman’s senior set-up.

According to The Athletic, the teenager is not taking chances with his fitness and has adopted a ruthless regiment to ensure he stays injury-free.

The newspaper reports, “Kambwala had been brought to their attention by Mathieu Seckinger, an academy scout based in France who also identified Hannibal Mejbri, who was signed the previous summer from Monaco’s academy.”

“Kambwala, who still lives in club digs, is known for clocking in early at United’s Carrington base before training to get through additional injury prevention work — often two and a half hours before the rest of the squad are due to arrive.”

It’s a testament to the level of his dedication and ruthless committment – almost akin to that of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo – that he’s willing to go to such lengths to ensure he’s ready to play when called upon by his manager.

Kambwala’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025 and it’s not a surprise that United are eager to agree terms over a new deal to extend his stay at the club.

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