Who is Willy Kambwala? Manchester United hand debut to Frenchman in West Ham United clash

Manchester United handed a debut to academy graduate Willy Kambwala in their Premier League clash against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday, December 23. The Red Devils have now extended their winless run to four games across all competitions after their loss to the Hammers.

West Ham were up against a United side with their backs to the wall following a run of poor form which saw them lose to Bournemouth 3-0. The Red Devils picked up an admirable point last weekend against Liverpool at Anfield and were looking for another good performance in London.

Manchester United were without a number of defenders through injury, including Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane. Manager Erik ten Hag was forced to turn to his academy for cover as he handed 19-year-old Frenchman Willy Kambwala his debut.

Sporting the number 53 shirt, Kambwala started alongside veteran defender Jonny Evans for the Red Devils as they battled with the Hammers. In what turned out to be a disappointing display from the Red Devils, the teenager was one of few players to emerge with credit in the bank.

Kambwala had a largely impressive debut despite his side losing a 13th match of the season, justifying his inclusion. The French youngster has been at Old Trafford since 2020, having joined from Sochaux in his native France for around £3.5 million.

Ten Hag allowed Kambwala play for 84 minutes on his debut before withdrawing the youngster and replacing him with Sergio Reguilon. The youngster is the 248th player to progress to playing for the first team of Manchester United after playing in the academy.

Manchester United make more unwanted history with defeat

Erik ten Hag looked perplexed as his side succumbed to yet another defeat in the Premier League. With this result, the Red Devils have now lost exactly 50% of their matches this season (13 of 26).

Jarrod Bowen gave West Ham the lead in the 72nd minute after Manchester United successfully stifled them up to that point. Six minutes later, Mohammed Kudus delivered another reminder of his excellent goalscoring ability with his tenth goal of the campaign to seal the win.

The Red Devils are now in unfamiliar territory, having lost 13 games across all competitions this season. The last time they lost as many games as this by the halfway mark of the season was in the 1930-31 season, when they lost 16.

Manchester United have also failed to score in any of their last four matches, with their attacking struggles contributing to their problems. The Red Devils are set to face Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and they will hope to avoid another bad result.