Who is Godwill Kukonki: Manchester United Career Stats, Analysis & Playing Style

Godwill Kukonki is a highly promising 16-year-old defender who is currently playing for Manchester United’s Under-18 side. He has been making headlines recently following his maiden first-team training appearance at Carrington under new Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim. At the tender age of 16, Manchester United’s academy product has accumulated significant praise, and he is being deemed the long-term solution to the club’s defensive hardships in future.

After the emergence of the likes of Ajendaro Garnacho and Kobie Mainoo, this young defender from the Under-21 age group squad is also following a similar path, eye to seize an opportunity to break into the senior team. He has the mandated potential to establish himself as another pivotal member of the primary team who has risen through the ranks of United.

Fairytale Journey of Godwill Kukonki

Godwill Kukonki was born in Stoke-on-Trent — a city in central England on Feb 6, 2008, he joined Manchester United Academy at the age of 6. At the International level, He is eligible to represent both England and DR Congo due to his African ethnic roots.

Ever since then, he has been making progress across the club hierarchy. The left-footed defender has been working his way up through the club’s youth ranks and has drawn comparisons to some of the best left-footed defenders of the Premier League such as Josco Gvardiol and Jarred Braithwaite.

Fast-track potential

In the absence of 14 senior team players during the November International break, the former Sporting Lisbon boss included the highly lauded teenager talent from the club’s academy in his first training session after being appointed as Manchester United manager as the successor of Erik Ten Hag.

After impressing the head coach Ruben Amorim in his very first senior team training session with the primary unit of players, the 16-year-old centre secured his name in the Premier League matchday squad to face Ipswich town building on the hype following the notable appearance at Carrington with the first team.

The young centre-back talent is the key player of the Under-18 side having made 11 appearances for the youth team and even scored his first goal against Blackburn Rovers Under-18 in a massive 9-0 win and assisted once against Liverpool’s age group side in a 2-0 triumph respectively.

He has clocked up over 800 minutes of playing time under his belt with the Red Devils Under-18 and subsequently broke into the Under-21 team recently after getting a promotion. It means he is one step closer to getting into the first team operations which eventually happened earlier this month with his involvement in a senior team training session.

Last season, Kunkoni has already made his Under-21 debut at Forest Green Rovers and his swift progress has caught the eye of the club’s new head coach. It would not be a surprise if he became a regular name to attend the training session following the recent turn of events.

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Scout Report

The English talent is known for his overpowering physicality and athleticism, standing tall at 6’5 ft of height at just 16, which means he possesses a natural advantage over his opponents in duels and challenges. Those who have seen Godwill Kukonki in action for the youth teams have spoken highly of his abilities and potential to evolve into a first-team key player under Ruben Amorim.

He is a left-footed defender which allows him to operate as the left centre-back and Left-back in the defence, Kukonki possesses aerial dominance, composure on the ball, great awareness and a sense of positioning coupled with tackling and ball-playing skills. However, there’s room for improvement in his game in areas like agility, passing and game intelligence — these can be strengthened with more additional time at top-level football.

Net Worth & Salary

As of now, there is no information available on Godwll Kukonki’s current compensation at Manchester United and net worth. Typically, the youth players earn figures as academy allowances and stipends. Additionally, the deals also include performance perks and special incentives and bonuses for being part of the Senior team activities and team squad.

What to expect after first-team training promotion under Ruben Amorim?

Another big milestone of Kukonki’s career marked with a first-ever call-up to the Premier League’s matchday training and squad has raised expectations from the youngster enormously. However, the academy star could not make it to the final team squad which travelled to Portman Road stadium to play Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Considering the proven track record of Ruben Amorim who is acclaimed for working wonders with the club’s academy talents at Sporting CP the 16-year-old has been a key member of the under-18 side and earned a promotion to Under-21 on the back of his recent success.

Kukoni’s style of play and physicality can be a handy tool for Amorim in his famously operated 3-4-3 formation which requires a commanding centre-back with excellent ball-playing abilities and technicality in the backline for build-ups and counterattacks. Hence, the future of Godwill Kukonki looks fully promising under the new management.

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