INEOS ‘blown away’ by deadline-day signing who can be Casemiro’s long-term heir at Man Utd

Manchester United youngster Sekou Kone has already won himself admirers at Lausanne-Sport, where he’ll be spending the rest of the campaign on loan.

The midfielder, who turned 20 on Tuesday, started his career in his home country of Mali with the academy of Guidars. In the summer of 2024, Man Utd poached his services for just £1 million.

Kone has been considered one of the most exciting emerging talents at Carrington. Last summer, many observers tipped him to make his senior debut in the 2025/26 season, but these plans were wrecked by a horrific clash he suffered in mid-August during a U21 contest, which left him with a fractured eye socket.

Sekou Kone already earning plaudits at Lausanne-Sport

After several months on the sidelines, Kone is itching to get going after signing for Lausanne-Sport on loan until June.

The Swiss top-flight club is owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s group, INEOS, which explains the ongoing collaboration between the two clubs. Man Utd teenager striker Enzo Kana-Bayik had also made a similar move last summer.

(From Lausanne-Sport’s official website)

According to the Daily Mail journalists Chris Wheeler and Nathan Salt, Lausanne have already been ‘blown away’ by the midfielder’s early exploits on the training field.

As the source explains, the coaches have been particularly impressed with his technical abilities on the ball, not to mention his ball-willing abilities.

While the report might sound unrealistic at first, considering that the player’s signing was only announced on Tuesday morning, it should be noted that Kone had been training with Lausanne for several weeks prior to the transfer, so he had enough time to leave his mark on the coaching staff.

Can Kone fill in for Casemiro at Man Utd?

Although Kone remains too green to be in the conversation, his attributes render him the perfect long-term successor for Casemiro, who has already announced his departure from Man Utd at the end of the season.

The Red Devils will naturally try to sign one or two new midfielders who are more established than Kone, but if the club is back in Europe as expected, the Malian can stay to add additional depth to the squad.

But before devising any plans for next season, the 20-year-old must follow up on his training-ground exploits by conquering the hearts of the Lausanne supporters in competitive fixtures.