Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said that he was pleased with the performance of Sekou Kone in Wednesday's post-season friendly against ASEAN All-Stars, with the midfielder impressing in his cameo outing.
Kone, 19, arrived at Man United from Guidars FC last year, and he featured on 14 occasions for the club during the 2024-25 campaign, with 13 of those appearances coming at Under-21s level.
The youngster was introduced in the 32nd minute of the match before being replaced at the interval, but his performance made an impression on Amorim, who has said that the midfielder will play more in the next game against Hong Kong, China on Friday.
"He [Kone] will play more in the next match. He did well. All the young players tried and that's the most important thing," the Man United head coach said after his side's shock defeat in Malaysia.
© Imago
Kone caught the eye for Man United in shock post-season defeat
Maung Maung Lwin came off the bench to score the only goal of the game on Wednesday, and Amorim has since opened up on the defeat.
"Of course, we should perform better. We were slow and we have to have it in us to win every exercise in training and every game. But the important thing is that we didn't have any injuries," Amorim told reporters during his post-match press conference.
"Some players were a risk but we wanted to respect all of the fans put all the players in the game. We should win these games but we move on."
When asked whether Man United have a lack of belief, Amorim said: "Today was completely different. I felt during and also in some games, also against Liverpool and Manchester City, that we started believing and started playing different football.
"It's something we need to change in our team but we will change also with confidence. We just need to focus on that first game of the Premier League, that is our focus now.
© Imago
Man United will face Hong Kong, China on Friday
"We played quite well in the last game of the Premier League against a team trying to get into the Champions League. Today was completely different. My biggest concern is every game, every small-sided game on the street, we need to have that feeling.
"We need to win every game, every exercise. It's something we need to push for the players. But the way I play is the same as other coaches. You have an idea and stick with your ideas. You can change something but I'm just one more coach who reached this level by believing in certain things. We will, of course, need to improve but I'm really confident."
Man United's post-season tour will conclude once they have tackled Hong Kong, China, and Amorim will undoubtedly be looking for a response from his players on Friday.
The Red Devils head coach was also questioned on a potential move for Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha, but he refused to give much away when asked about the Brazilian.
Matt Law
